Not Just Another Guru
Vyasa-puja Offering By Jayadvaita Swami (1995)
Today we honor the representative of Srila Vyasa. Srila Vyasadeva has many representatives. And so we may think of Srila Prabhupada as one of them. And of course he is.
Yet Srila Prabhupada stands distinct, distinguished, in a class by himself. He is not merely "a guru," our guru, one among many, just as the Bhagavatam is not just another book, Hare Krsna not just another mantra, and Lord Krsna not just another god.
To study Srila Prabhupada is to study superexcellence. Part of his superexcellence is that he did act just as though "another guru." He did things any guru should do, or at least aspire to; he set an example for us to follow. (Harikesa Maharaja has written about this very nicely for the Vyasa-puja of a previous year.)
Yet Srila Prabhupada also did the extraordinary, and was extraordinary. And we need to keep his singularity in mind.
Some people, it seems, suppose that any guru, to be bona fide, must come up to the same level, or nearly the same, as Srila Prabhupada. But that is neither necessary nor possible.
It is not necessary because Srila Prabhupada far excelled the qualifications every bona fide guru must have. There may be many fragrant flowers, but among them there is extraordinary excellence in the campaka or the rose; there may be many birds, but among them special excellence in the peacock or the swan; many stars, but among them special excellence in the moon.
Among gurus, Srila Prabhupada shines with extraordinary brilliance. To expect that sort of brilliance from every guru is to expect the impossible - and to lose sight of how extraordinary Srila Prabhupada is.
Then again, if by virtue of serving as guru one thinks one has become as good as Prabhupada, or nearly so, again one has lost one's vision. We've had our experience: the little mice who became tigers and cast hungry eyes on the yogi turned into little mice again.
Srila Prabhupada stood in a class apart, uniquely blessed by Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura and Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu to establish Krsna consciousness all over the world. Anyone who wants to cover the same territory, take on the same task, but not follow in Srila Prabhupada's footsteps is an offender and a fool. And anyone who sincerely dedicates his life to Srila Prabhupada's service will always come out successful, overcoming even the most subtle and difficult obstacles.
This year at Mayapur, Krsna reaffirmed to us the depth and purity of Srila Prabhupada's teachings. When Srila Prabhupada conveyed to us conclusions of the previous acaryas, he did so perfectly, preserving and transmitting the philosophy exactly as it is, neither watering anything down, nor covering anything over, nor leaving anything out. He gave us the essence of everything, exactly as we ought to receive it.
We therefore don't need to add anything, subtract anything, or change anything. We need only faithfully serve Srila Prabhupada's orders, and everything will be revealed.
Hare Krsna.
- From the "My Memories of Srila Prabhupada" by HH Bhakti Vikas Swami
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