Question: No Spiritual MasterHare Krishna,Please accept my pranams. I am now in the first stage of taking serious actions towards Krishna consciousness. Though I have been praying almost 20 years, I don't think I am entirely Krishna conscious.Dear Guru, I am struggling with the fact that I haven't met a spiritual master who can guide me. So Krishna guides me. What advice do you have for me to improve my devotion?Hare KrishnaAnswer: Follow this ProcessMy Dear Devotee,You have rightly understood your need for a spiritual master. And it is also nice that you are taking the guidance of Sri Krishna. If we accept Krishna as our guide, we must then follow the instruction He gives us in the Bhagavad-gita to approach a spiritual master, hear and inquire from him, and serve him.My best advice to you is that you must carefully the Bhagavad-gita As It Is by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, and that you should regularly chant the Hare Krishna mahamantra:Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare HareHare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare HareOnce you have established studying and chanting as a regular daily routine, you may establish relation with nearest ISKCON to find suitable spiritual master.I hope this meets you in the best of health and in an ecstatic mood.Always your well-wisher,Hare Krishna Hare KrishnaFor more discussions visithttp://harekrishnaharekrishna.ning.com/forum/
You need to be a member of ISKCON Desire Tree | IDT to add comments!
Who is this guru you write to and he advises? Just curious.
With due respects to your guru and his words, my humble suggestion would be to approach your nearest ISKCON temple rightaway and ask what congregational preaching is going on and join the one nearest your house, as per convenience. In association, your devotion will grow leaps and bounds. With time, your manifest guru on earth will be revealed to your heart and you will be able to move forward.
In the meantime, please make it a practise to study Srila Prabhupada's books (small books, and Gita) everyday. Study prabhu, not read. SP is still our guru, he preaches through his books even today and will continue to do so for the next 10,000 years.
"Therefore, one must take advantage of the Vani (the words of the spiritual master) not the physical Presence"
The Vapu-Vadis, worship the external form, trampling on the Vani-Instruction.
"The disciple must stick to whatever the spiritual master orders. Simply by following on that line, one sees the Supreme Personality of Godhead. As explained before, this means meeting the Supreme Personality of Godhead in the instruction of the spiritual master. This is technically called vani-seva. Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura states in his Bhagavad-gita commentary on the verse vyavasayatmika buddhir ekeha kuru-nandana (Bg. 2.41) that one should serve the words of the spiritual master." (SB 28.47-52)
The disciple and spiritual master are never separated because the spiritual master always keeps company with the disciple as long as the disciple follows strictly the instructions of the spiritual master. This is called the association of vani (words). Physical presence is called vapuh. As long as the spiritual master is physically present, the disciple should serve the physical body of the spiritual master, and when the spiritual master is no longer physically existing, the disciple should serve the instructions of the spiritual master. (SB 4.28.47 )
There are two ways of association - by vani and by vapuh. Vani means words and vapuh means physical presence. Physical presence is sometimes appreciable and sometimes not, but Vani continues to exist eternally.
Therefore, one must take advantage of the Vani, not the physical presence. (CC, Antya 5 Conclusion)
Replies
Hare Krsna Prabhuji,
PAMHO.
Who is this guru you write to and he advises? Just curious.
With due respects to your guru and his words, my humble suggestion would be to approach your nearest ISKCON temple rightaway and ask what congregational preaching is going on and join the one nearest your house, as per convenience. In association, your devotion will grow leaps and bounds. With time, your manifest guru on earth will be revealed to your heart and you will be able to move forward.
In the meantime, please make it a practise to study Srila Prabhupada's books (small books, and Gita) everyday. Study prabhu, not read. SP is still our guru, he preaches through his books even today and will continue to do so for the next 10,000 years.
Haribol,
Your servant,
Radha Rasamayi DD
By Google Search:
"Therefore, one must
take advantage of
the Vani (the words
of the spiritual
master) not the
physical Presence"
The Vapu-Vadis, worship the external form, trampling on the Vani-Instruction.
"The disciple must stick to whatever the spiritual master orders. Simply by following on that line, one sees the Supreme Personality of Godhead. As explained before, this means meeting the Supreme Personality of Godhead in the instruction of the spiritual master.
This is technically called vani-seva. Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura states in his Bhagavad-gita commentary on the verse vyavasayatmika buddhir ekeha kuru-nandana (Bg. 2.41) that one should serve the words of the spiritual master." (SB 28.47-52)
The disciple and spiritual master are never separated because the spiritual master always keeps company with the disciple as long as the disciple follows strictly the instructions of the spiritual master. This is called the association of vani (words). Physical presence is called vapuh. As long as the spiritual master is physically present, the disciple should serve the physical body of the spiritual master, and when the spiritual master is no longer physically existing, the disciple should serve the instructions of the spiritual master. (SB 4.28.47 )
There are two ways of association - by vani and by vapuh. Vani means words and vapuh means physical presence. Physical presence is sometimes appreciable and sometimes not, but Vani continues to exist eternally.
Therefore, one must take advantage of the Vani, not the physical presence. (CC, Antya 5 Conclusion)
http://www.harekrsna.org/pada/img/vapu.htm