Hare Krsna
Please accept my humble obeisance. All glories to Srila Prabhupada
A disciple after learning and being with his Guru for few years was allowed to carry on doing the sadhana or spiritual practises on his own.
The next day he came and asked his guru - "Oh, my revered master, what are you doing, closing your
eyes?"
His Guru replied - ''I am thinking about you and your progress. I am pondering as to how you will succeed in your endeavor"
The disciple said - "why do you bother about me? Give it up".
The Guru said - "You are a part of the universe. I am thinking about the whole universe. You are a part of
it. How can I exclude you?"
"If it is so, why do you say that you are thinking about me?" asked the disciple.
The Guru replied "You are thinking that you are independent of the universe and therefore you have
bondages. You will come out of this shakle only when you realise that you are a part of the universe. That
is what I am asking on your behalf".
The disciple still fails to understand this and goes on asking different things.
The Guru realized where this never ending conversation was leading to and understood the level of the
disciple who needed to evolve more by practicing what he learnt and by taking efforts doing more saddhana on his own.
The Guru then became silent and without entertaining the conversation any further went into deep
meditation.
Reflection
When we learn and attain wisdom and knowledge of truth from our Guru or whenever we cross paths with great souls who have experienced the divine, we have to be careful about what really we need to seek from them or ask them.
We have to be genuine in asking our doubts if we wish to clarify something. There are some people who are not satisfied however much ever they are taught. They do not seem to grasp anything and keep asking lame questions while some others due to their own ego pretend to know everything and continue to
intentionally ask questions to test the Guru or to gain affection of the Guru.
In fact, such people would start understanding the real knowledge given to them only when the teaching is
stopped. This is silent teaching.
As long as the trainer is holding the bicycle, the learner will never learn to ride indepenently. Then
the trainer takes his hand off the bicycle and says "dont worry, I am still holding your bicycle from
behind". Now the boy starts riding on his own.
Similarly, the Guru or preceptor allows the disciple to do sadhana on his own after some initialisation.
What is sadhana? Practising concentration itself is sadhana. Many people struggle for peace. They do
intense sadhana for that. In reality, as long as they struggle and strive, peace eludes them. Only when they
stop making any effort peace will set in.
During the Rama Avatara (incarnation of Rama), the sages desired for an embrace by Rama. They
subsequently took birth as Gopikas during the Krishna Avatara.
Lord Krishna embraced them many times. Still they were not satisfied. Instead, they indulged in jealousy.
Because of this, Krishna had to take the trouble of assuming a thousand bodies. Seeing this, two Gopikas -
Radhika and Shymala - prayed to the Lord - "Oh Lord, we did not exercise caution when we spelt out our
desire at the outset. Because of us, you had to take another birth and assume a thousand forms just to
fulfill our desire by embracing us. We are still not satisfied. Jealousy and hatred among ourselves has
caused us to think egoistically that you belong to us. Please take back the boon you granted to us and give
us wisdom".
Now this is a proper request which has arisen out of proper understanding of the knowledge and viveka or
discrimination after so many births.
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