All scriptures stress the importance of Guru (a Spiritual Master) for our spiritual advancement. This is an humble attempt to present the importance of Spiritual Master.In our daily life we will come across many things and incidences, some things we are aware of it and some we will learn from others depending on our interest and from what they know. When we come to spiritual scenario, the perspective seems to be complicated even though it is not. Spiritual Master is the one who gives us the perception or understanding of Spiritual world.Look at the following diagram which shows different scenarios about the perception that we have in our daily life...Here we have four scenarios:Scenario 1: This scenario talks about general behavior in the society or our habits that we know and people around us also knows.Scenario 2: This scenario talks about our personal things. Everyone will have some personal things that others don't know, so obviously we only know about it but not others.Scenario 3: As we will think that we know everything about us, we don't want to think about this scenario, but people who are observing us may have different perception on us and on our actions. We may think that we are doing it right but others may perceive it as a mistake. If we took their view in a positive and proper manner, our dealings with them will be better; this needs the mentality of learning from others.The above scenario's 1,2 and 3 describe our daily acitivities. The next scenario is quite surprising, but it is very important than any other scenario that we observed so far...Scenario 4:This scenario is the most difficult to understant, as we can't expect that something exists that we don't know and the surrounding people also don't know about us. It seems to be very complicated but the answer is simple but sticks with the basic knowledge i.e., our real identity.We may say that I know my identity saying that I am this body, but it will lead to many basic unanswerable questions like why i am subjected to so many miseries, who am i, why i am here and why should i die. Answers for these questions, nor we know nor the people surrounding us knows. But there's a person who knows the answers for these questions, He knows why we are here and he knows why we should die , He is none other than Krishna, The Supreme Personality of GodHead. He knows everything about us, He knows what we know about us, He knows what others know about us and He also knows what we don't know about us and what others don't know about us. He knows our real identity, He is the Master of all masters and He is the cause of all causes. There's nothing unknown to Krishna, The Supreme Personality of Godhead.In a company generally a boss will give instructions to his fellow beings through his representatives. Similarly Krishna also sends his instructions through his representative, and this representative is considered as Spiritual Master. Krishna through His representative or Spiritual Master will guide us or He will mentor us to know about our real identity and He will help is to work at the level of our real identity.To work in a firm, we should know what we are in the firm; similarly to work at the level of our real identity we should know what our real identity is. When we start working at the level of our real identity, it will solve all the problems that we are facing and also the problems that we are going to face.As the scriptures mentions that to find a Spiritual Master who is representative of Krishna is very difficult.In Bhagavad-gita:4-34 Krishna says " Just try to learn the truth by approaching a Spritual Master. Inquire from him submissively and render service unto Him. The self realized souls can impart knowledge unto you because they have seen the truth."A bonafide Spiritual Master is by nature very kind toward the disciple. Therefore when the student is submissive and is always ready to render service, the reciprocation of knowledge and inquires becomes perfect.Knowing our real identiy is not something mundane. All glories to Srila Prabhupad, who has given the chance for all the people in this world to think about our real identiy in a structured way, All glories to Guru and Gouranga.I will humbly offer this little article as a flower unto the Lotus Feet of my Spiritual Master (H.H Lokanath Swami Maharaj)Hare Krishna.
Comments
Extremely well written Prabhuji!
Thank you... :)
your eternal servant,
eternal muser