HG Sri Rupa Devi Dasi
On this most auspicious occasion of His Holiness Srila Romapada Swami Maharaja’s appearance day, here is my humble attempt at contemplating the meaning behind celebrating Sri Vyasa-puja.
Embodying the intense compassion of the Supreme Lord, the spiritual master bears many hardships while rescuing lost and suffering souls. This labor of love is described by Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura as follows:
“Oh Lord! Such a wicked mind has brought me into this world, but one of Your pure and elevated devotees has come to bring me out of it. He saw me so fallen and wretched, took pity, and came to me saying, ‘O humbled soul, please listen to this good tiding, for it will gladden your heart.’” [Saranagati, Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura]
“By the prayer of the Vaisnavas the all-merciful Lord Krsna will then become compassionate towards such a sinner as me.” [Kalyana-kalpataru, Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura]
The spiritual master is one of the Lord’s very own men. The Lord and Sri Guru share a very intimate bond of mutual love and trust. Narottama dasa Thakura illustrates their relationship in the following way:
“Your heart is always the resting place of Lord Govinda. Lord Govinda says, ‘The Vaisnavas are in My heart.’” [Prarthana, Narottama dasa Thakura]
The beloved spiritual master carries the precious heart of the Lord and delivers it to those who genuinely yearn for it. When we hear the spiritual master speak, we should understand that he is speaking to each and every one of us individually. This is how Sri Guru gives the limitless love of Krsna to each of us unlimitedly.
Srila Prabhupada describes the process of initiation as a formal commitment where the spiritual master accepts the disciple and agrees to take responsibility for them [Srila Prabhupada Lilamrta 1.19]. The guidance of the Guru saves the disciple from all sorts of spiritual (and even material) dangers, just as a caring parent protects a child. On the other hand, the disciple agrees to worship the Guru giving him the same respect as God. The Guru delivers the Lord to the sincere disciple [Srila Prabhupada Lilamrta 1.19]. Though the spiritual master may consider himself to be merely a menial servant, we should have no doubt that he is inseparable from the Lord. This same message is rendered very beautifully by His Grace Dravida Prabhu in his poem to Srila Prabhupada inspired by the Gurvastaka prayers:
“‘The guru is as good as God,’ you said, and some were shocked.
But you had simply quoted scripture: you did not concoct.
And sure enough, for those who worship you as they would God,
The path of bhakti opens wide and joyfully is trod.
O Prabhupada, your mercy is my only treasure now; Unto your soothing lotus feet I bow.” [Srila Prabhupada Krpastakam 7, His Grace Dravida dasa]
The way we regard the spiritual master is very essential for our progress in bhakti. When Srila Prabhupada’s Vyasa-puja was not performed properly, he became upset in order to instruct his disciples of the importance of honoring the spiritual master [Srila Prabhupada Lilamrta 1.31]. Prabhupada had his disciples redo the ceremony the following day, and they understood that if the spiritual master is pleased then they will also be blissful.
Today we are so fortunate! Our spiritual master is very humble and therefore does not like to accept worship. However, for our benefit, on this occasion he allows us to worship him in ways that he would never allow on a daily basis! Today he will accept our elaborate arati, our washing of his lotus feet, our singing and dancing, and our choice words of praise! So, let us praise our spiritual master with all our hearts, just as we praise the Lord Himself. And let this bliss carry us forward so that in future as well we can worship our spiritual master through all our actions.