transcribed by Yamuna Devi Dasi(Kadamba Kanana Swami, Croatia, September 2010)
Spiritual master is having different roles.
One role is that he is the representative of Krsna.
He is receiving our service and our worship on behalf of Krsna.
We have to treat Him like that, the representative of Krsna - as good as Krsna.
The Spiritual master is representing the whole parampara.
So he is representing all the previous acaryas.
The Spiritual master takes charge of our life...
I was reading an offering of one of Srila Prabhupada’s disciples named Koushalia. She become involved in Krsna Consciousness when she was sixteen years old. She was a hippy girl from the sixties. She was only sixteen years old, but she liked to take LSD. During the initiation Prabhupada asked her not only for the four regulative principles, He also asked her:“What is the fifth regulative principle?”
And then he said: “No LSD!!!”
Then Prabhupad told her:
“You always looked in life for the smooth ocean; you always looked for the comfortable situation where life will be easier. But there is no such thing!
Sometimes the ocean is smooth but sometimes the ocean gets rough. That is the nature of ocean. There is no such thing as always having a smooth ocean.
But you don’t have to worry because you have a very good captain! the captain will take you across!”
The Spiritual master is the captain of the boat of transcendental knowledge who will take us across this ocean of material existence.
So, whether it is smooth or whether it is rough - whatever maybe, we have that relationship with our spiritual master.
The spiritual master is our friend
It is said that the relationship with the spiritual master should be also be personal. He is not only the official representative of the parampara and of Krsna. He is not only the external manifestation of Supersoul but he is also our friend. So, this friendship means, that here is someone we can trust. And that is important because then we can take shelter. Otherwise, we always smile and whenever the spiritual master comes and asks:
“How are You?“
We'll say: “Everything is very nice, very nice...“
But the truth of the matter is that we are struggling. The truth of the matter is that it is not easy. Because it takes endeavour to become a pure devotee. And therefore we must trust and we must take shelter. We must be honest, that is what is needed.
Srila Prabhupada would also write his letters and write:
“My dear spiritual sons and daughters”
So, in one sense there is a parental relationship.
The spiritual master is like our father.
Father is always favourable, no matter what children do.
We should understand that the Spiritual master is always favourable.
transcribed by Yamuna Devi Dasi
(Kadamba Kanana Swami, Croatia, September 2010)
