Then Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya says prema-bhakti yāṅhā haite, abidyā bināśa yāte, bede gāya yāṅhāra carita. We have said that it is as though the compassion of that boundless ocean of mercy, Śrī Bhagavān, has condensed into the form of Śrī Guru and appeared here for the benefit of all worldly souls. It is through Śrī Gurudeva, the avatāra of Śrī Bhagavān’s compassion, that we experience the Lord’s mercy. Śrī Gurudeva’s heart is the jeweled throne of Śrī Bhakti Mahārāṇī, the quintessence of the hlādinī and samvit śaktis. Residing there, Bhaktirāṇī bestows her mercy upon the people of the world. With Śrī Guru’s compassion as the vehicle, her mercy is set in motion within the sādhaka, and he becomes blessed with the gift of prema. Because of this sambandha-jñāna (knowledge of relationship) gained by the mercy of Śrī Guru, attachment for the body and subject matters not related to Kṛṣṇa is lost, while a deep affection for Kṛṣṇa arises. Prema-bhakti then appears within the sādhaka’s heart, having flowed through the guru-praṇālī like the current of the Mandākinī. This mystical truth can also be known from the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (10.2.31):
svayṁ samuttīrya sudustaraṁ dyuman bhavārṇavaṁ bhīmam adabhra-sauhṛdāḥ |
bhavat padāmbhoruha-nāvam atra te nidhāya yātāḥ sad-anugraho bhavān ||
bhavat padāmbhoruha-rūpāṁ nāvam atraiva nidhāya bhakti-mārga-sampradāyaṁ pravartety arthaḥ pāraṁ yātāḥ (Svāmi-ṭīkā)
While offering prayers to Śrī Kṛṣṇa within the womb of Devakī Devī, Brahmā and the other devas said, “O Self-manifested One! Your compassion for your devotees is boundless. By the strength of that mercy, your devotees accept the shelter of your lotus feet, which are like sturdy boats that carry them across the troublesome ocean of material life. Moreover, by the system of guru-paramparā these devotees give their mercy to the souls of this world by keeping that boat here in the form of the bhakti-mārga-sampradāya.” From this it is clearly understood that without the shelter of the lotus feet of Śrī Guru there is no way to attain prema-bhakti and cross the ocean of material life. The direct result of receiving shelter at the lotus feet of Śrī Guru is the attainment of prema and sevā at the lotus feet of Śrī Bhagavān. A secondary result is the destruction of ignorance, the basis of materialistic life. Therefore Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya says abidyā bināśa yāte. The forgetful jīva’s beginningless aversion to God has arisen due to Śrī Bhagavān’s external māyā-śakti of avidyā. This avidyā is of five kinds: tamaḥ, moha, mahāmoha, tāmisra and andha-tāmisra. Here tamaḥ indicates ignorance, or lack of knowledge. If one extends his hand while in dense darkness, he is unable to see it or anything else around him. In the same way, if ignorance doesn’t allow the jīva to ascertain his own nature, how in this state of darkness shall he see Śrī Kṛṣṇa? Moha means the state of being unable to discern what should and shouldn’t be done. Mahāmoha indicates desire for sensual enjoyment. Tāmisra means the angry state arising when one’s enjoyment is hindered, and andha-tāmisra denotes being absorbed in guarding one’s enjoyable things from possible loss. These are the functions of avidyā-māyā, and they are removed as a secondary fruit of Śrī Guru’s mercy.
Those anarthas that disrupt the sādhaka’s bhajana are also known to be avidyā. They are of four kinds: duṣkṛtottha (born of evil deeds), sukṛtottha (born of good deeds), aparādhottha (born of offensive deeds) and bhaktyuttha (born of following the path of bhakti). The anarthas born of wicked acts have been described as comprised of kleśa, or misery and distress. Kleśa is of five kinds: avidyā, asmitā, rāga, dveṣa and abhiniveśa. Here avidyā means considering that which is impermanent to be eternal, that which is impure to be pure, misery to be happiness and that which is not the self to be the self. Asmitā means arrogance, pride, egotism. Rāga means desire or attachment for happiness and comfort. Dveṣa means the desire to remove all misery or its causes. Abhiniveśa means fear of death. Some also consider pious deeds aimed at sense enjoyment as anarthas and are thus included as miseries. By the mercy of Śrī Guru, all these are easily destroyed. By his mercy the sādhaka is also freed from the anarthas born of aparādha, namely the ten offenses against the Holy Name, as well as the anarthas born of following the path of bhakti, such as the desire for profit, adoration and fame. In this way, the sādhaka obtains the treasure of pure bhajana.
bede gāya yāṅhāra carita: In the Vedas and the religious texts that follow the Vedas the importance of Śrī Guru has been repeatedly described. The Vedas constantly sing of him by whose mercy prema-bhakti is obtained and ignorance is thoroughly destroyed. ācāryavān puruṣo veda (Chāndogya): “Having taken shelter of the lotus feet of Śrī Guru, a person devoted to the service of Śrī Guru attains and remains situated in spiritual truth.”
yasya deve parā bhaktir yathā deve tathā gurau |
tasyaite kathitā hy arthāḥ prakāśante mahātmanaḥ ||
tasyaite kathitā hy arthāḥ prakāśante mahātmanaḥ ||
“For one who studies the Vedic literature with equal devotion to Śrī Hari and Śrī Guru, the power of that devotion causes the meaning of the Vedas to awaken within him.” (Śvetāśvatara)
tad-vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum evābhigacchet samit-pāṇiḥ śrotriyaṁ brahma-niṣṭham (Muṇḍaka). In Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, the cream of all vedānta, Śrī Kṛṣṇa has said, ācāryaṁ māṁ vijānīyāt: “Śrī Guru shall be understood as My own form.”
In the Chāndogya Upaniṣad of the Sāmaveda, one story concerning the importance of Śrī Guru is found. Sent by Jābālā, Satyakāma Jābāla approached Maharṣi Gautama to receive spiritual knowledge. When he arrived, Gautama initiated him and engaged him in the work of cow protection and so on. Satisfied by Satyakāma’s devotion and service to his guru, Rṣabha (the bull), Agni (the fire), Haṁsa (the swan) and others blessed him with spiritual knowledge. Gautama, pleased by this, then also gave him instructions. When Upakauśala approached Satyakāma for spiritual knowledge, Satyakāma engaged him in tending the fires and fetching things. Pleased by Upakauśala’s devotion to Śrī Guru, Agni taught spiritual knowledge to him. Then, Satyakāma, being pleased, also enlightened him. In the Veda-following Mahābhārata, there are also many well-known stories about the guru-sevā and guru-niṣṭhā of Upamanyu, Uttaṅka, Uddālaka and others. bede gāya yāṅhāra carita.
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