শ্রীগুরু-চরণপদ্ম, কেবল ভকতি সদ্ম,
বন্দোঁ মুই সাবধান মতে ।
যাঁহার প্রসাদে ভাই, এ ভব তরিয়া যাই,
কৃষ্ণপ্রাপ্তি হয় যাহা হতে ॥ ৩ ॥
“The lotus feet of Śrī Guru are the abode of pure bhakti. Therefore I worship them with great care. O Brother, by Śrī Guru’s mercy we can transcend this mundane world and obtain Kṛṣṇa.”
The Abode of Pure Bhakti
Sudhā-Kaṇikā-Vyākhyā
After having celebrated śrī-guru-tattva (the spiritual teacher principle) as the root of all sādhana and siddhi in the beginning of this book, Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya now praises the lotus feet of Śrī Guru in a different way. In all scriptures it has been described that the fundamental need and ultimate goal of the jīva is devotion to God. It is the opinion of the scriptures and the great devotees that there is no other way to begin bhakti-sādhana than by taking shelter at the lotus feet of a true guru. In his Bhakti-Rasāmṛta-Sindhu, while describing the sixty-four limbs (aṅgas) of bhakti, Śrīpāda Rūpa Gosvāmī has listed ten limbs as being the doorway to the temple of bhakti. Among those, the first are guru-pādāśrayas tasmāt kṛṣṇa-dīkṣādi-śikṣaṇam, viśrambheṇa guroḥ sevā. This means that (1) taking shelter of the guru, (2) receiving initiation into śrī-kṛṣṇa-mantra followed by instructions on bhāgavata-dharma, and (3) faithfully serving the guru are the three limbs that comprise the first and most important gateway onto the path of bhakti. Therefore, if one is to enter into the temple of bhakti, one must first accept shelter at the lotus feet of Śrī Guru. Without this, obtaining bhakti or Bhagavān’s mercy is hardly possible. Just as water in contact with coldness assumes the form of ice and also becomes very cold, in the same way, when Bhagavān’s concentrated mercy in the form of Śrī Guru is revealed to the bhakta-sādhaka, the sādhaka’s heart, which has been scorched by the three types of miseries, is cooled in the stream of bhajana-rasa and he is blessed with the gift of loving service to Bhagavān’s lotus feet.
By Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya first mentioning Śrī Guru, he is indicating guru-tattva. The word śrī means the treasure of prema, and whoever possesses that treasure is known as Śrī Guru. In the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam we find: tasmād guruṁ prapadyeta jijñāsuḥ śreya uttamam. śābde pare ca niṣṇātaṁ brahmaṇy upaśamāśrayam. (Bhāg.11.3.21) uttamaṁ śreyo jñātum icchuḥ. śābde brahmaṇi vedākhye nyāyato vyākhyānato niṣṇātaṁ tattva-jñam anyathā saṁśaya-nirāsakatvāyogāt. pare ca brahmaṇi aparokṣānubhavena niṣṇātam anyathā bodha-sañcārāyogāt. parabrahma-niṣṇātatva-dyotakam āha upaśamāśrayam iti. (Śrīdhara ṭīkā) The meaning is that one who longs to know that most beneficial and most auspicious bhakti-tattva will take shelter of the lotus feet of Śrī Guru, who is learned in śabda-brahma (scriptures), specifically the bhakti-śāstras, and experienced in parabrahma, meaning that he has direct perception of Śrī Bhagavān by virtue of his attainment of bhakti. If Śrī Gurudeva doesn’t understand the tattva, he won’t be able to remove his sheltered disciple’s uncertainties about bhajana, and if he doesn’t possess bhakti, he won’t be able to infuse his disciple with a direct experience of bhajana. The question may be raised that even if it’s possible to judge by a guru’s erudition whether he has a true philosophical understanding or not, is bhakti just a function of the mind? How can the sādhaka know if the guru actually has bhakti? The answer is upaśamāśrayam, which means that the true guru is one in whom the six enemies of bhakti, such as lust, anger and greed, have been thoroughly calmed. Such a guru is capable of destroying his disciple’s many anarthas, giving him prema and placing him at Bhagavān’s lotus feet.
Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya said, ‘The lotus feet of Śrī Guru are the abode of pure bhakti.’ Here the word caraṇa (foot) has been used to invoke a sense of ‘to be honored’ or ‘filled with bhakti,’ such as in svāmi-caraṇa, gosvāmi-caraṇa, etc. Essentially, śrī-guru-caraṇa refers to Śrī Gurudeva. The significance of the word padma (lotus) being used is that just as a lotus is a reservoir or receptacle for flower nectar, in the same way Śrī Gurudeva is the ultimate reservoir of pure and sacred bhakti. In determining the characteristics of pure or sacred bhakti, Śrīmad Rūpa Gosvāmipāda has written anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyaṁ jñāna-karmādy-anāvṛtam, ānukūlyena kṛṣṇānuśīlanaṁ bhaktir uttamā. Uttamā-bhakti, or the most elevated type of devotion, is that which is free from any other desires, is untinged by jñāna or karma, and is favorable for constant devotion to Śrī Kṛṣṇa. The word anuśīlana comes from the verbal root śīl, which indicates repeated practice. This practice is of two types: that which originates from pravṛtti, or engagement, and that which originates from nivṛtti, or renunciation. The first type consists of engaging the body and words in service with an affectionate state of mind, namely performing physical service with the body, glorifying the Lord’s qualities and pastimes with one’s speech, hearing about him with one’s ears, meditating on his form, qualities and pastimes within the mind, and always feeling love for him within one’s heart. The practices born of nivṛtti include endeavoring to give up any offenses committed while performing sevā, chanting nāma, etc. If this continual practice is free from any desire for liberation or sense enjoyment, and if the hearing and chanting, etc. are performed with rapt attention only for the sake of developing pure love of God, this is called śuddha-bhakti or pure devotion. It is referred to in different ways such as ‘the highest, beyond the mundane qualities, pure, preeminent, unparalleled, the fully ripened natural state, etc.’
By Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya saying ‘the abode of pure bhakti,’ he has at once ascertained the nature of Śrī Guru as well as proclaimed his glory. The lotus feet of Śrī Guru are the abode of pure bhakti as well as the extraordinary meeting place of śrī-bhagavat-tattva, pervaded by devotion to Bhagavān, and bhakta-tattva, meaning that both sādhana-bhakti and the perfected prema-bhakti simultaneously coexist there. By taking shelter at the lotus feet of Śrī Guru, which are the wellspring of śuddha-bhakti, the fortunate jīva obtains the nectar of pure devotional service. By the mercy of Śrī Guru’s devotion-filled lotus feet, the sādhaka is freed from all anarthas and he easily reaches and remains established in love of God. On the other hand, if mistrust or ingratitude is shown toward Śrī Guru’s feet, then the seeds of aparādha accumulate and one’s bhakti and bhajana dry up and nearly die. For this reason, Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya next says, ‘Therefore I worship them with great care.’
(to be continued...)
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