How can we develop our relationship with Krishna without minimizing the position of the guru?

Transcript

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we can develop faith in them sometimes some people say why can’t I have a direct relationship with God why do I need someone between me and God so the guru does not come between us and God he removes that which is between us and God he removes the misconceptions the misdirected cravings that come between us and God and actually we have a personal relationship Prabhupada writes in the 18th chapter Bhagavad Gita Purport that experience is through the parampara but the experience is direct and personal so that is the mystery of the parampara so it is not that we are not meant to have a personal relationship with Krishna in fact Prabhupada says in one conversation that when you go back to the spiritual world I will introduce you to Krishna so what this means is we are all meant to have a personal relationship with Krishna now as far as minimizing the spiritual master is concerned if we consider the spiritual master as dispensable now I have made advancement I don’t need my spiritual master that is a wrong attitude and that is that is not at all pleasing to Krishna because Krishna the spiritual master has done so much service to Krishna and Krishna is pleasing the spiritual master also, at the same time it is not that when we it is not that all our knowledge of Krishna has necessarily come from our spiritual master only Srila Prabhupada himself in the first cant of Srimad Bhagavatam says that the serious, first chapter itself actually he says that, he gives a long list of commentators on the Bhagavatam he is a serious student to study all these commentators, the commentaries of all these commentators also and interestingly there Prabhupada even gives the name of commentators like Nimbarka who are not even in our sampradaya so Prabhupada was that inclusive what Srila Prabhupada’s concern was that we should not we should not jump to that which we are not mature enough to receive this especially applies to Krishna’s intimate past times with the gopis it is very easy to misunderstand them as mundane and that misunderstanding has happened among many observers and many practitioners so our Acharyas have been especially cautious about it.
Not just Srila Prabhupada, Gautam Shankar Thakur, Bhaktivinoda Thakur also they have been cautious at the same time it doesn’t mean that they don’t want us to read about Krishna or read about the previous Acharyas commentaries. Srila Prabhupada’s example himself we see, he said we should not jump to the 10th canto and he did not appreciate people who do Bhagavat Kathas on the 10th canto directly at the same time Srila Prabhupada gave Krishna a book, which is the 10th canto. Now the point is that Prabhupada wanted us to know Krishna and not only wrote the Krishna book, he wanted the Krishna book to be distributed to people in general for street distribution Prabhupada said so what does this mean? That means it’s not that Prabhupada doesn’t want us to know Krishna but we have to make sure that Krishna is understood properly that we should not misunderstand Krishna thinking him to be a mundane person or thinking his exalted relationship with the gopis as mundane relationships.
So if we have got enough philosophical grounding, Prabhupada gives that philosophical grounding through his commentaries, through his explanations in the Krishna book and with that philosophical grounding if we understand Krishna then there is a far greater likelihood that we will approach his pastimes even his confidential pastimes with due reverence. So it’s not so much a matter of denial that you cannot read this or deprivation it’s a matter of elevation of our understanding so that we can appreciate what is being given. So if we practice bhakti for some years, we consult with our senior devotees and then if we feel the inspiration to read some previous Acharya’s books then with the blessings of our shiksha gurus, with the blessings of Srila Prabhupada, we can read that.
If we don’t read our Acharya’s books, who is going to read it? Isn’t it? If we don’t access what our tradition has given us who else is going to access it? The mundane scholars if they may access it, they will not be able to understand it properly. They will not be able to relish it. So Prabhupada has written his books for us and the previous Acharyas have also written their books for us.
But we have to make sure that we get the proper understanding. So we always have a reverential attitude towards Srila Prabhupada and then Prabhupada has connected us with the tradition. So we gratefully connect with that tradition in a mode of service to Srila Prabhupada.
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