By representative of God I mean s/he can hear God or have his body be controlled by God. Or instead of God, s/he can hear a person who can hear God, or so forth.
I want to ask some questions to such guru and s/he can tell me God's answers to my questions. I've read stories of miraculous gurus.
Like I've read stories of Neem Karoli Baba. He was a recent saint (died: 1973) who used to do miracles, like knowing people's past, giving eyesight to blind, turning water to ghee, making a person win lottery, resurrecting a dead person etc. For example:
When the temple priest came before him, Babaji shouted, 'You have no son. How will you have one when you do not allow the children to come to the Child?' Pointing his finger to the murti of Dwarkadhish, he said, 'He is also a child and wants to play with the children. You prevent them from coming to Him, so how can you have a son of your own?'
"While everyone was left wondering what all this meant, the panicky priest fell at his feet, and with tears flowing from the eyes, begged Baba for mercy and to bless him with a son. The storm was over and the sun came out. Smiling, Baba said, 'All right you will have your son. But you must open the door for the children to come.' When Babaji had gone, the priest said that he knew that Baba came to the temple to bless him. Two years after that, he had his son."
Source: http://maharajji.com/Near-and-the-Dear/ram-narayan-sinha-chapter.html
Don't we have such God-connected gurus available for our generation?
Replies
Hare KRsna Prabhuji,
PAMHO.
In the examples given by you - both the persons had done sadhana enough to qualify to see/ hear God through His representative. Tulsidas was already a pure devotee, thats why he was asking even a spirit that I want to see God. Same with Yogoda Foundation founder - Swami Yogananda. Chapter 4 and Chapter 37, you have referred. I had started reading Autobiography of a Yogi, though I could not complete reading it. It is evident from the beginning that Swami Yogananda was having enough pious deeds in his last birth to be born in that environment and that he had some little sadhana left, for which he appeared.
To get the same kind of guru, you also have to do sadhana. If your sadhana is strong enough, God will give you direct instructions - eg - Madhavendra Puri, Sanatan Goswami, Gopal Bhatt Goswami, Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Goswami - please read about him.
Whether material world or spiritual world, the rule remains the same - deserve before you desire.
Spirituality is not a matter of instant results - I will personally not encourage you to look for something like that. Choose your path, start walking on that path and then qualify to get results.
What works for us is our faith in our founder acharya - Srila Prabhupada and the path shown by him. If there were no results, why would so many people across the world, leave their own culture and accept something which is materially so unappealing - na janam, na dhanam, na sundarim.... what we aim for is not followers, not wealth, not women - then what is there to look forward to - why are so many people accepting this path and giving up the culture they have been brought up in?
Haribol,
Your servant,
Rashmi
Hare Krsna,
PAMHO.
Thanks a lot for the wonderful replies :)
Neem Karoli Baba's disciples believe him to be an avatar of Hanuman. He once answered to some question that "I have a wireless with God!" ( Source: https://www.ramdass.org/short-maharaji-stories/ ).
I'll give some more examples of God-connectedness:
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In Autobiography of a Yogi Chapter 4, Yogananda prayed silently to God, and then a sadhu told Yogananda that "In response to your prayer, the Lord tells me to assure you that...". In Chapter 37, Yogananda's guru's guru's guru (Mahavatar Babaji) told Yogananda that "Our Heavenly Father has heard your prayer. He commands me to tell you:...". Both the persons delivered God's message to Yogananda. I'm looking for someone like them. I'm looking for answers from God.
On internet a lady shared her experience that she prayed to God and God answered her through signs ( Full account: http://qr.ae/jmmoL ). Another person shared on internet that he prayed to God and a boy visited him with the answer.
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I've been praying to God to guide me, thinking that God may speak to me in my dreams, but I've been unsuccessful so far.
I can try to become a disciple of a guru from Vaishnava disciplic succession but what's the grantee that such guru can hear God and will later reveal to me that s/he can hear God. Neem Karoli Baba's disciple Ram Dass wrote a book in which he revealed some miracles of Baba. Reading that book, many westerners got to know about Neem Karoli Baba and many (including Steve Jobs) came to India to meet Baba.
Tulsidas were able to have darshan of Ram with help of a tree spirit. What I've read is that a tree spirit asked Tulsidas that what can the spirit do for him; Tulsidas replied that he wants to have darshan of Ram; the tree spirit revealed to him that how Tulsidas can meet Hanuman; Tulsidas followed instructions of the spirit and met Hanuman; Hanuman guided Tulsidas that how Tulsidas can have darshan of Ram; Tulsidas followed the guidance and had darshan of Ram.
So I can take help of a person who can converse with spirits. But I've contacted people who say they can hear spirits/angels but none of those people have been able to correctly answer my questions like "what's the number I've written on the piece of paper?".
My preference is to find a guru who can hear God. But I can also take guidance from people who can contact Hanumanji, angels or spirits. If you've phone-number/name/address/email/website of such people then I request you to share. Like I found phone number of a person in my city who said that he can hear spirits but he clearly told me that he won't be able to answer questions like "what's the code of my locker?". I didn't take appointment with that person because I'm looking for concrete evidence. Like, for example, a person sharing that he can hear God(/Hanuman/angels/spirits) and able to know through God(/Hanuman/angels/spirits) that what I've written on a piece of paper.
I've read stories of God-connected gurus and am trying to find such a guru in present time. People here might have read stories of Veda Vyasa. Neem Karoli Baba passed away just recently (year 1973).
Your servant,
"kralaro"
Hare Krishna Prabhu,
God came in front of us infinite number of times and he is still coming in many forms . We with our limited senses are unable to see him . Even if some one helps you to talk to God then you will stop doing Bhakti as there will be ego that you have seen God . We should only ask for Ananya Bhakti and nothing else .
We see sun rising every day its Surya Narayan we are fortunate enough to take his Darshan that means you have already seen God . life on earth is impossible without Sun light .
No one with his material senses can achieve what Guru Prabhupada achieved . This is the mercy of Krisha he made his messenger available to us .
Every one wants to see God the way they desire but Krishna has his own plan to give you Darshan . He will come in front of us once we cry for him just like a helpless child cries for his mother
Hope this will help to some extent .
Ys,
Umesh
Hare Krishna,
If memory serves me well, I remember a story told by HH Hridayananda das goswami Acharyadeva, in which he was talking to Srila Prabhupada about His Divine Grace going back to Goloka Vrndavana. Srila Prabhupada, whose physical body was sitting in that room talking said, 'Goloka vrindavana....I never left it.'
Srila Prabhupada, though in his physical body, never left the Heavenly Vraja.
Here is the Guru you are seeking. Here is one guru who was with Krishna even when apart. Here is a Guru who never left Heaven. Take shelter of his books, his Temples, and the association of his sincere devotees; and all your questions will be answered absolutely.
All glories to jagad-guru (Guru for the whole universe), Srila Prabhupada!
ys, rf
I saw this story on a "Remembrance" video many years ago when the first series debuted.
I believe Prabhupada was talking to a small group of his intimate devotees, not just Acharyadev alone.
Hare Krsna Prabhuji,
PAMHO.
What you are looking for is anyone with siddhis - no connection with God required. You can go to anyone who does past life regression, who can communicate with souls..... I have even heard that there are babajis who can make you talk with Hanumanji on the phone!!!
This is not devotion.
The incident you mentioned as an example is the special mercy given by a devotee to a sincere sadhaka.
Sorry.
Haribol,
Your servant,
Rashmi
Hare Krsna
Don't we have such God-connected gurus available for our generation?
The relationship of a disciple and guru of that disciple may or may not a public relationship.
In order for one to understand this, it is helpful to first understand different types of relationships.
There can be relationship between any two personal profiles on social networking sites. All that is required is a friend request by one profile and acceptance of that request by another profile. So technically the relationship begins with the acceptance, which comes after the request.
Once acceptance is granted, activities of that relationship between profiles begin. Interestingly the activity which begins on such social media is limited by the social media itself. Like profile A and profile B are friends on social media. They chat, share pictures etc.
Suppose both of them agree to share phone numbers, then one can understand that the relationship between profiles has grown deeper from social media to personal voices. This voice interaction on phone may or may not be publicized on the social media. It may be publicized only if they want it. But it is possible to keep it confidential
Similarly it can further grow to meetings which can be kept confidential from phone media. It can grow to legal partnerships, it can grow to that of willingness to give any help requested, it can grow to that of informally giving and receiving help, it can grow to that of giving help without any request and so on.
All of these developments can be kept confidential from public or can be revealed. It entirely depends upon them.
Similarly Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur***(see note at bottom) mentions the following
saksaad-dharitvena samasta-saastrair
uktas tathaa bhaavyata eva sadbhi
kintu prabhor yah priya eva tasya
vande guroh sri-caranaaravindam
The spiritual master is to be honored as much as the Supreme Lord, because he is the most confidential servitor of the Lord. This is acknowledged in all revealed scriptures and followed by all authorities. Therefore I offer my respectful obeisances unto the lotus feet of such a spiritual master, who is a bona fide representative of Sri Hari.
By this one can understand that relationship between Guru and God is super confidential. Guru and God can completely choose whom to reveal their relationship and whom not to reveal. It is not something that can be expected to be known by the entire generation of people. Rather its personal, private and confidential
By representative of God I mean s/he can hear God or have his body be controlled by God. Or instead of God, s/he can hear a person who can hear God, or so forth.
I want to ask some questions to such guru and s/he can tell me God's answers to my questions.
External symptoms like hearing God, control of body by God and so on and so forth when they are genuinely manifest
(How often is that ?)are symptoms due to the relationship between God and Guru. But this relationship is super confidential( understood above), so such symptoms also are confidential.So how to know who is representative of God ?
Srila Prabhu pad in his Purport(BG 4.34) mentions that
The Lord advises us to approach a bona fide spiritual master in the line of disciplic succession from the Lord Himself. No one can be a bona fide spiritual master without following this principle of disciplic succession. The Lord is the original spiritual master, and a person in the disciplic succession can convey the message of the Lord AS IT IS to his disciple.
What about the external symptoms
Even when an ordinary person sees a genuine guru manifesting such external symptoms, it need not be publicized to the entire generation. Because those who get such second hand information may not know what to do with such information.
But What to do when one finds a representative of God
I want to ask some questions to such guru and s/he can tell me God's answers to my questions. Alright, So How to do it )
Srila Prabhupad further writes (same PurportBG 4.34)
Such a spiritual master should be accepted in full surrender, and one should serve the spiritual master like a menial servant, without false prestige. Inquiries and submission constitute the proper combination for spiritual understanding. Unless there is submission and service, inquiries from the learned spiritual master will not be effective. One must be able to pass the test of the spiritual master, and when he sees the genuine desire of the disciple, he automatically blesses the disciple with genuine spiritual understanding.
(Not external symptoms)***Note : Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur is a great acarya in the brahma-Madhwa-Gaudiya-Vaishnava-Guru-Shishya-Sampradaya, which is one of four bonafide vaishnava sapmradayas(disciplic succession) propagating practice of pure devotional service unto (not into) Supreme personality of Godhead Lord Sri Hari by rendering personal service unto Him. Four bonafide Sampradayas are
Lord Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu chose to appear in Brahma-Madhwa Sampradaya in what was at that time called gaudiya kshetra.
(Based on Srila Prabhupad purports SB 4.28.31, CC Adi 1.19, Krsna book Chapter 87)
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