Çré Vyäsa-püjä

—
Hamburg, September 5, 1969

Prabhupäda: Now you can discuss amongst... You can speak something,
what you have experienced about your spiritual master. You can speak.
Anyone can speak. (Hindi) They may not go, but they'll take prasäda.
Why you are going? Please sit down. (Hindi)
Mukunda: Nama oà viñëu-pädäya kåñëa-preñöhäya bhü-tale, çrémate
bhaktivedänta-svämin iti nämine. [break]
Prabhupäda: Spiritual master is not that a particular man is spiritual
master. Spiritual master is a truth. So what is that truth? The truth is
saàsära-dävänala-léòha-loka-träëäya käruëya-ghanäghanatvam **. The
whole world is in the blaze of material pangs, threefold miseries. And a
person who is authorized to deliver people from that material pangs, he is
called spiritual master. The example is given in this verse,
saàsära-dävänala. Dävänala is the Sanskrit word. The English equivalent
is forest fire. Just like in the forest in this part of the world there are
sometimes forest fire, and government has arrangement to pour water
from up. There are so many arrangement. But forest fire there is, a fact.
And what is this forest fire? The forest fire... Nobody has got any interest
to set fire in the forest, but it takes place automatically. And when the
forest fire is there, all the animals within the forest, they become so much
disturbed. They cannot escape. They die, especially the snakes. Because
snakes are always envious, so they are first off to be burned into that
forest fire. They cannot go very swiftly. Others, tigers and other beasts,
they go away. But the snake, they crawl. They cannot get out. Mostly they
burn. So this example is given to this materialistic life as forest fire
because nobody wants any disturbance, but disturbance is created.
Actually I am seeing. Since I have come to this part of the world in 1965,
so many boys are chased by the government draft board. You see? They
belong to the independent nation, and formerly they were independent.
And what is this nonsense independence? You see? Simply nonsense.
There is no independence. But we are thinking, "I am independent." "Oh,

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that nation has become independent. I shall become independent." Just
like one of my students said he wanted to be anarchist.
So these false notions, isms, are going on. People are being misled. You
see? Andhä yathändhair upanéyamänäù [SB 7.5.31]. Practical experience: In
my country, India, I was also a student of Gandhi. In 1920 I joined the
noncooperation movement and gave up my education because Gandhi's
program was to boycott the British educational institution. So most of the
university students... I was also. I passed my final examination, B.A., but I
gave up. I did not appear, and I joined this movement. Fortunately, in
1922 I also met my Guru Mahäräja, and he, on my first visit, I do not know
why, he told that "You should preach this Caitanya philosophy to the
outside world." I replied that "We are dependent nation. Who will hear us?
In the world, nobody hears any person who is coming from dependent
nation, so we must have first of all independence." A young man I was at
that time, and I was also misled in so many ways. But my spiritual master
saved me, Bhaktisiddhänta Sarasvaté Gosvämé Mahäräja.
So the spiritual master's duty is to save the living entities who are so much
embarrassed by the forest fire. That is the duty of spiritual master.
Saàsära-dävänala-léòha-loka **. The whole world is blazing, and just like
in the blazing fire of the forest, the animals are going here and there, and
some of them are dying, the whole world is like that. And how that blazing
fire can be extinguished? You cannot send there this fire brigade, or you
cannot get some pots of water and try to extinguish that wide fire. It is not
possible. Then how to extinguish it? The extinguishing is possible when
there is cloud overhead and there is incessant pouring of water. Then the
forest fire extinguished. No artificial means, no scientific means. Fire
brigade or this fire extinguisher, we have invented so many things, but
when there is forest fire all these things are nonsense. Nothing can be
used. The only use, means, is when there is pouring, incessant pouring of
water from the cloud. That is made of God. That is not in your hand. You
cannot produce cloud. Some arrangement of God's arrangement, the
cloud, is there. Ghanäghanatvam. The example is given, "Charitable just
like the cloud." Why this example is given? When cloud pours water, it is
so sufficient that there is no comparison. But if you want to pour water, a
bucketful of water, how long you will do it?
So spiritual master means he must be just like the cloud. How it is

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possible? It is possible. It is possible in this way, provided he follows the
disciplic succession of spiritual master. Then it is possible. He must inherit
the power from the superior source. Then it is possible that by his
teaching, by his lessons, the forest fire which is burning within our heart,
it can be extinguished, and the person who receives such spiritual
instruction bona fidely, he becomes satisfied. This is the process. So,
saàsära-dävänala-léòha-loka-
träëäya käruëya-ghanäghanatvam
präptasya kalyäëa-guëärëavasya
vande guroù çré-caraëäravindam **

Now, this spiritual master's succession is not very difficult. Of course, my

students, they offer me so much respect, but all these respects are due to
my spiritual master. I am nothing. I am just like peon. Just like peon
delivers one letter. He is not responsible for what is written in that letter.
He is not responsible for what is written in that letter. He simply delivers.
But a peon's duty is that he must sincerely carry out the order of the
postmaster and deliver the letter to the proper person. That is their duty.
Similarly, this paramparä system is like that. Every one of us should
become a spiritual master because the world is in blazing fire. (aside:) You
can give them prasädam. Now, of course, time is very high. So to
understand the spiritual master... Spiritual master is not a new invention.
It is simply following the orders of the spiritual master. So all my students
present here who are feeling so much obliged... I am also obliged to them
because they are helping me in this missionary work. At the same time, I
shall request them all to become spiritual master. Every one of you should
be spiritual master next. And what is their duty? Whatever you are
hearing from me, whatever you are learning from me, you have to
distribute the same in toto without any addition or alteration. Then all of
you become the spiritual master. That is the science of becoming spiritual
master. Spiritual master is not any... To become a spiritual master is not
very wonderful thing. Simply one has to become sincere soul. That's all.
Evaà paramparä-präptam imaà räjarñayo viduù [Bg. 4.2]. In the
Bhagavad-gétä it is said that "By disciplic succession this yoga process of
Bhagavad-gétä was handed down from disciple to disciple. But in course of
time that disciplic succession is now lost. Therefore, Arjuna, I am

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teaching you again the same philosophy."
So this is the process. Simply if we... Therefore Vedic knowledge is called
çruti. One has to hear it properly, assimilate it, and then practice it in life
and preach the same thing. Then everyone becomes spiritual master.
Caitanya Mahäprabhu says, ämära äjïäya guru haïä tära 'sarva-deça: "O
My dear disciples, I tell you that you, all of you, become spiritual master.
Simply you carry out My order. That's all." "And what is Your order?" "The
order is the same: yäre dekha, täre kaha 'kåñëa'-upadeça [Cc. Madhya 7.128].
Just like Kåñëa gave instruction in the Bhagavad-gétä, and if you simply
place the instruction received from Bhagavad-gétä as it is..." I am
publishing Bhagavad-gétä As It Is because in the market there were so
many Bhagavad-gétä misinterpreted, but that is not the process of
presenting Bhagavad-gétä. Bhagavad-gétä should be presented as it is. In the
Bhagavad-gétä it is simply said that Kåñëa is the Supreme Personality of
Godhead. But most books which you have seen in English lang..., they are
trying to make minus Kåñëa. That is their attempt. So what sort of
Bhagavad-gétä is that? That should not be done. Kåñëa is the Supreme. You
should speak that Kåñëa is the Supreme. That is the preaching of
Bhagavad-gétä.
So today is called Vyäsa-püjä. Vyäsa-püjä means the Vyäsadeva,
Veda-vyäsa, who wrote the Vedic literature, he is the supreme spiritual
master because he has given us the spiritual knowledge. In the
Çrémad-Bhägavatam it is..., näräyaëaà namäskåtya naraà caiva
narottamam, devéà sarasvatéà vyäsam [SB 1.2.4]. So Vyäsa. So this
platform is called "the seat of Vyäsa." So spiritual master should be
representative of Vyäsa. Then the instruction is complete, and the benefit
is assured. So I do not wish to take much of your time. We will now
distribute prasädam. And one thing, coincidence, the Vyäsa-püjä means to
observe the birthday of the spiritual master. That is called Vyäsa-püjä.
And so today, this Nandotsava day, fortunately, seventy-three years ago I
was born on this date. So this date, Nandotsava, is also a very fortunate
occasion, because after Kåñëa's birth, Mahäräja Nanda, the father of
Kåñëa, he celebrated a utsava, a ceremony, and this day is called
Nandotsava. So a little I shall speak about Nandotsava. Nanda Mahäräja,
he was a little elderly when Kåñëa was born, and some of his friends came
to congratulate, "My dear friend, you have got a son in your old age," and

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Nanda Mahäräja said amongst the friends that "How can you say I am old?
An old man cannot beget a child. I am young man." So these things are
stated in the Çrémad-Bhägavatam. And all the villagers... Because, you
know, Våndävana is a village, a big village, and Nanda Mahäräja is the
head of that village, Våndävana, so all the people came to congratulate the
child, and this is called Nandotsava. So one brähmaëa, he has spoken a
nice verse in this connection. He said that çrutim apare småtim itare
bhäratam anye bhajantu bhava-bhétäù. There are different kinds of Vedic
literature: çruti, småti, Mahäbhärata, Vedänta. So he says, "Let others read
çruti, Vedic literatures, Vedänta-sütra and Upaniñad, and so many there
are in Vedic literatures. Let others read that. But I have come here..."
Aham iha nandaà vande: "I have come to worship Nanda Mahäräja.
Nanda Mahäräja." "Why you have left everything and you have come to
worship Nanda Mahäräja?" Yasyälinde paraà brahma: "Because in his
courtyard the Supreme Personality of Godhead is crawling. The people are
searching after what is God, and God is crawling in his yard. So therefore
I do not find anyone more than Nanda Mahäräja, so I offer my respects to
Nanda Mahäräja."
So this is the feeling of a devotee. Generally, those who are followers of
speculative process, or jïäna-märga, they finally reach to understand that
he is one with the Supreme Absolute Truth. Ahaà brahmäsmi. But the
devotional service is so nice that a devotee is not satisfied that "I am one
with the Supreme," but by his service he becomes greater than the
Supreme. Just like Nanda Mahäräja. He is not anxious to become one with
God, but he underwent so great penances that he became the father of
God. That is possible. A devotee is so great that he can pray the Supreme
Lord as his son. Of course, it is a very subtle science for understanding of
spiritual knowledge. So today Nanda-mahotsava is celebrated because the
father of Kåñëa... Ajo 'pi sann avyayätmä bhütänäm éçvaro 'pi san, in the
Bhagavad-gétä it is said. Although God is unborn and He is the Supreme,
still, by love, He accepts one of His devotees as His father and appears as
his son. So today is very nice day, that Kåñëa has appeared. The Supreme
Lord has appeared as the son of Nanda Mahäräja. So there is some
arrangement of prasädam on account of Nanda Mahäräja. So you can
distribute and enjoy.
Thank you very much. (end)