Śrī Śrī Prema-Bhakti-Candrikā 4, pt. 1 (comm. by Śrī Anantadāsa Bābājī Mahārāja)

গুরু-মুখপদ্মবাক্য,        হৃদি করি মহাশক্য,

আর না করিহ মনে আশা ।

শ্রীগুরুচরণে রতি,        এই সে উত্তমগতি,

যে প্রসাদে পূরে সর্ব্ব আশা ॥ ৪ ॥

     “The words from Śrī Guru’s lotus mouth have great power. Take them into your heart and rely upon nothing else. Attachment to his lotus feet is the best way to achieve success. By his mercy, all your hopes will be fulfilled.”

The Gravity of Śrī Guru’s Words

     Sudhā-Kaṇikā-Vyākhyā: After the sādhaka has taken shelter of the lotus feet of a sad-guru who understands śrī-kṛṣṇa-tattva, meaning after he has accepted dīkṣā-mantras and so on, Śrī Gurudeva shall give him instructions in sādhana and bhajana, as well as in śrī-kṛṣṇa-tattva, bhakti-tattva, prema-tattva and rasa-tattva. The instructions flowing from Śrī Gurudeva’s lotus mouth are as sweet as honey and are like an elixer for the heart and ears. They have a powerful effect in establishing the sādhaka on the path of bhajana. In this verse, Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya introduces this idea by saying guru-mukha-padma-bākya, hṛdi kari mahāśakya, āra nā kariha mane āśā. The honey-like words falling from the lotus mouth of Śrī Gurudeva, the embodiment of bhagavad-bhakti-rasa, are ambrosial as well as intoxicating. There is no comparison anywhere to the instructions that Śrī Gurudeva speaks, his heart melted with affection and compassion, to his sheltered disciple. The word mahāśakya means ‘endowed with the power to lead one to God.’ The word bākya means ‘instructive speech concerning the prema-rasa of devotion to Śrī Kṛṣṇa.’ The sādhaka must hold within his heart the words of Śrī Gurudeva (who is the embodiment of pure devotion to God) and give up all dependence on anything else. The purport is that when the merciful Lord sees the sad and miserable condition of the māyā-bound people, his heart melts for them. In order to teach them about the various tattvas and cause them to personally taste the sweetness of bhajanānanda-rasa, the bhagavat-svarūpa-samaṣṭi-guru (God as the aggregate guru) empowers some great soul who has attained bhakti to act as vyaṣṭi-guru (individualized guru). He alone is to be regarded as the genuine sad-guru. Since Śrī Guru is the embodiment of the Lord’s mercy, there is no doubt that his instructions have the power to deliver one to the Lord. Therefore, Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya is saying here that for those who are very eager to obtain Śrī Kṛṣṇa, it is essential that they hold the powerful words of Śrī Guru within their hearts and give up their reliance on anything else.

     The question may arise that if the instructions given by Śrī Gurudeva do not agree with the opinions of śāstra and the mahājanas, how can the sādhaka establish trust in those instructions? In reply, it has been said that the sad-guru can never give instructions that disagree with the sādhus and śāstras. If some guru should happen to instruct his śiṣya in a way contrary to the opinions of sādhu and śāstra, the virtuous śiṣya shall, without showing any disrespect, refuse to accept that instruction. He should disregard it with the attitude that he is unable to understand its hidden meaning. Therefore, in the twelfth verse Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya says sādhu-śāstra-guru-bākya, hṛdaye kariyā aikya, satata bhāsiba prema-mājhe. “By making your heart one with the teachings of sādhu-śāstra-guru, you will always be flooded with divine love.”

     After that Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya says śrī-guru-caraṇe rati, ei se uttama-gati, ye prasāde pūre sarva āśā. This means that those who possess some attachment for Śrī Guru’s lotus feet, having accepted within their hearts his instructions on śrī-kṛṣṇa-tattva, bhakti-tattva, prema-tattva and rasa-tattva, are blessed because of that sincere devotion to easily obtain the most precious thing within the kingdom of prema, the service of the lotus feet of Śrī Rādhā’s beloved sweetheart. By ‘devotion to Śrī Guru’s feet,’ it is meant that if the sādhaka’s mind becomes satisfied by his firm devotional attachment to Śrī Guru’s lotus feet, or if the sādhaka’s mind becomes absorbed in contemplating the form of Śrī Guru, who is always engaged in bhajana, then he easily obtains the supreme refuge. 

(to be continued...)