Acyutananda Maharaja asked why some misuse their independence and others never do.
"That depends on him," Prabhupada said. "If one is determined that 'I shall only act according to the advice of my Guru Maharaja,' then he's perfect. One has to submit like Arjuna said-sisyas te 'ham sadhi mam tvam prapannam, otherwise he'll argue."
Yasomatinandana said that even the liberated souls, nitya-siddhas, have a guru, and Prabhupada emphasized what it means to be really liberated. "As soon as he says 'liberated,' he's a rascal. A liberated soul will never say that 'I am liberated' -- that is liberated. Caitanya Mahaprabhu, He is God -- guru more murkha dekhi' karila sasana, 'My Guru Maharaja saw Me a fool number one, and he has chastised Me.' He's God; this is the example. If one remains always a servant everlastingly of guru, then he is liberated. And as soon as he thinks that he is liberated, he's a rascal. That is the teaching of Caitanya Mahaprabhu ... You must be ready always to be chastised by guru, then he's liberated. And as soon as he thinks that 'I am beyond this chastisement, I am liberated,' he's a rascal. This is sahajiya-vada. He is thinking, 'Oh I have become liberated. I don't require any direction of my guru. I'm liberated.' Then he's rascal."
He said some strong words about his Godbrothers. "Why this Gaudiya Matha failed? Because they tried to become more than guru. He, before passing away, he gave all direction, and never said that 'This man should be the next acarya.' But these people, just after his passing away they began to fight -- who shall be acarya? That is the failure. They never thought, 'Why Guru Maharaja gave us instruction so many things, why he did not say that this man should be acarya?' They wanted to create artificially somebody acarya and everything failed. They did not consider even with common sense that if Guru Maharaja wanted to appoint somebody as acarya, why did he not say? He said so many things, and this point he missed? The real point? And they insist upon it. They declared some unfit person to become acarya. Then another came, then another acarya, another acarya.
"So better remain a foolish person perpetually to be directed by Guru Maharaja. That is perfection. And as soon as he learns the Guru Maharaja is dead, 'Now I am so advanced that I can kill my guru and I become guru.' Then he's finished."
As he left the roof, Prabhupada cautioned us once more about Radha-kunda. He said we should not bathe in Radha-kunda, but we should simply touch the water to our heads. He said that unless one is very respectful to the lotus feet of Srimati Radharani, they cannot bathe there; it is only for very advanced souls.
- From "A Transcendental Diary Vol 4" by HG Hari Sauri Prabhu
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