If you are benefited by somebody, you should always remain obliged to him.

Killing the Guru

Sri Guru and Gauranga

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PRABHUPADA: This is also another Vedic civilization, that if you are benefited by somebody, you should always remain obliged to him. Shikshito yad-anugrahat. There is one Bengali proverb, guru-mara-vidya. "Guru, you learn from him first of all, then kill him. Don't care for guru." This is demonic. By the grace of guru you learn something. Then when you learn something, then you become greater than him, don't care for guru. This is demonic. Even if you have learned something, you must feel always obliged, atah padarshayat.

So this is Vedic civilization. Draupadi advising Arjuna that "You have learned. Feel always obliged," atah padarshayat. So this is Vedic culture. "This military art, by his grace, by guru's grace, now you are expert in the science of military art. And suppose his son has committed some sinful activity. You cannot punish him, retaliate, so that guru's family will be aggrieved." This is Vedic culture. Not only he is personally, but in his absence, his wife, his family, you should consider them.

...So there is nothing especial to be explained. The only important part of this verse is, that don't learn guru-mara-vidya. Even if you become more learned than your guru, you should not exhibit it before your guru. You should always remain a fool number one. Just like Chaitanya Mahaprabhu showed Himself by His example. Guru more murkha dekhi 'karila shasana [Chaitanya-charitamrita Adi 7.71: "My spiritual master considered Me a fool, and therefore he chastised Me."]. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu was not murkha [fool], but He has taught us that before guru, we shall always remain a murkha. That is advancement. Not that "I know more than guru. I don't care for guru. Now give me blessing that I can find out some better guru." This nonsense, if you don't find... If your guru is not perfect, then why you are asking blessing to find out another?

So anyway, this guru-mara-vidya should be avoided. That is the instruction in this verse we can get, and that is the Vedic way. It is not that Draupadi is speaking, but Chaitanya Mahaprabhu is also speaking... Chaitanya Mahaprabhu was very strict on this point. As soon Vallabhacharya spoke that "I have written a better comment than Sridhara Svami," immediately Chaitanya Mahaprabhu become offended. He said, "Oh, you have become more than Sridhara Svami? You don't care for Svami?" So he remarked immediately, svami yei jana na mane veshyara bhitare. That is the system. You cannot overrule acharya. Acharya... Acharyopasanam. Acharya should be always worshiped. Even if you, by ABCD, you have become more learned than the acharya... That is not possible, but if you foolishly think like that, still, you should not exhibit your foolishness, that you know more than the acharya. That is Chaitanya Mahaprabhu's... By His life example, He has taught us that the more we remain ignorant, foolish before the acharya, or before the guru, that is more we advance. Real success is how one is faithful to his guru. That is real success. Yasya deve para bhaktir yatha deve tatha gurau. It is not by education or grammatical knowledge you can learn anything. No. It is by the grace of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. And that grace comes down through the grace of guru. That grace also does not come directly. We should not be neglecting this point.

yasya deve para bhaktir
yatha deve tatha gurau
tasyaite kathita hy arthah
prakashante mahatmanah

"Unto those great souls who have implicit faith in both the Lord and the spiritual master, all the imports of Vedic knowledge are automatically revealed." [Shvetasvatara Upanishad 6.23]

Things become revealed by devotion, not by so-called education. No. Chiram vichinvan. Na chanya eko 'pi chiram vichinvan, prasada-leshanugrihita eva hi [Srimad-Bhagavatam 10.14.29]:

"My Lord, if one is favored by even a slight trace of the mercy of Your lotus feet, he can understand the greatness of Your personality. But those who speculate to understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead are unable to know You, even though they continue to study the Vedas for many years."

By little prasada, satisfaction... In many places these things are stated. Yat karunya-kataksha-vaibhavavatam gauram eva stumah. Karunya-kataksha. Not complete karunya, but kataksha, simply little glancing, he becomes so great, kaivalyam narakayate tridasha-pur akasha...

Therefore Vishvanatha Chakravarti Thakura says, yasya prasadad bhagavat-prasadah::

"By the mercy of the spiritual master one receives the benediction of Krishna. Without the grace of the spiritual master, one cannot make any advancement. Therefore, I should always remember and praise the spiritual master. At least three times a day I should offer my respectful obeisances unto the lotus feet of my spiritual master." [Sri Sri Gurv-ashtaka Eight Prayers to the Guru]

Not that bhagavat-prasada is achieved by education and grammar. No. Yasya prasadad bhagavat-prasadah. By the mercy of guru one can achieve. That is just like a common word, "If you love me, love my dog." So you cannot approach Krishna without loving His dog, His servant. Satam prasangat. A person who is trying to distribute the message of Krishna, he is very, very dear dog of Krishna. Na cha tasman manushyeshu kashchin me priya-krittamah [Bhagavad-gita 18.69: There is no servant in this world more dear to Me than he, nor will there ever be one more dear."]. He is very... It doesn't matter how far he is advanced in education, how far he has learned grammar. These are not the things. The things is how far he is working to carry out the mission of Krishna. Then one has to receive Krishna's mercy through the bona fide servant. Krishna cannot be bluffed by so-called education and grammar. Krishna is not so... Bhaktya mam abhijanati [Bg. 18.55: "One can understand Me as I am, as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, only by devotional service."]. He never says "By grammar or by education one can understand." Never says. Bhaktya mam abhijanati yavan yash chasmi tattvatah. We should be educated, we should be very careful, but real thing is bhakti. Anyabhi... Bhajate mam ananya-bhak, sadhur eva sa mantavyah [Bg. 9.30: "Even if one commits the most abominable action, if he is engaged in devotional service he is to be considered saintly because he is properly situated in his determination."]. Api chet su-duracharah. Many places it is said. Tad-vag-visargo janatagha-viplavo yasmin prati-shlokam abaddhavaty api [SB 1.5.11]:

On the other hand, that literature which is full of descriptions of the transcendental glories of the name, fame, forms, pastimes, etc., of the unlimited Supreme Lord is a different creation, full of transcendental words directed toward bringing about a revolution in the impious lives of this world's misdirected civilization. Such transcendental literatures, even though imperfectly composed, are heard, sung and accepted by purified men who are thoroughly honest.

Even a bhakta writes something which is not very grammatically, rhetorically correct—Tad-vag-visargo janatagha-viplavah, namany anantasya yasho 'nkitani yat—but because he has tried to broadcast the glories of the Lord, even not in perfect language, that is his qualification.

The sadhus [saintly persons], they are not interested about rhetorical or grammatical adjustment. The sadhu wants to see who has spoken. If he's a Vaishnava, then his word will be accepted. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu strictly prohibits that is one is not a Vaishnava, don't hear from him. Avaishnava-mukhodgirnam putam hari-kathamritam, shravanam naiva kartavyam. "But he's such a learned man," or "He's writes so nicely, correctly." But because he's not Vaishnava, one should not hear from him. "Why? It is so nicely written." No. Sarpocchishtam yatha payah. Milk is very good food, everyone knows. But as soon as it is touched by the lips of a serpent, it is poison immediately. Therefore it is forbidden. And one who has no knowledge how to respect guru, how he can become Vaishnava? Chadiya vaishnava-seva nistara payeche keba, Narottama dasa Thakura says. If you don't become a faithful servant of Vaishnava, there is no possibility of your liberation. Chadiya vaishnava-seva nistara payecha keba. Tandera charana-sevi-bhakta-sane vasa, janame janame haya ei abhilasha. This is Narottama dasa Thakura's... Our determination should be to serve the previous guru and acharya. Evam parampara-praptam [Bg. 4.2: "This supreme science was thus received through the chain of disciplic succession..."]. That is our determination. Tandera charana-sevi. Our service... Not directly Krishna. Because to serve Vaishnava is more than serving Krishna directly. Mad-bhakta-pujabhyadhika [worshipping My devotees] [SB 11.19.21]. Krishna likes that. He doesn't accept anyone's service directly. That is a gross mistake. Therefore Narottama dasa Thakura is teaching us... [It is a mistake] ...trying to become one with Krishna or one with the gopis. These are all Mayavada philosophy. Tandera charana-sevi. You have to serve the servant of Krishna, tad bhritya dasa-dasa-dasanudasah [Cc. Madhya 13.80: "I identify Myself only as the servant of the servant of the servant of the lotus feet of Lord Sri Krishna, the maintainer of the gopis."]. That is the way. Not directly.