Chapter Four

Guru Gayatri

Vision of Guru

The Guru-mantra and the Gaura-mantra are bija-mantras, seed or root mantras, of larger complete mantras. These bija-mantras are especially used for offering articles in puja. Chanting them helps fix one's attention on the personality being worshiped.

The depth of meditation upon the spiritual master depends on the vision, and vision depends on realization. In the beginning a disciple sees the spiritual master as Krishna Himself, sdksad-hari. He thinks, "My guru is God, the omnisicient one, the omnipotent savior and the liberator." Later he will understand that the spiritual master is an empowered representative of God. The guru is saktyavesa, invested with a special potency or sakti by the Supreme Lord Krishna. This is the potency of mercy, therefore, the guru is known as the krpa-sakti murti, or the personified form of Krishna's mercy appearing before the conditioned soul.

Finally a sincere and surrendered disciple will understand the eternal identity of the spiritual master. According to his inner desire, the advanced disciple will find the spiritual master situated in a particular mood of devotion; either in dasya, sakhya, vatsalya, or madhurya rasa. He may realize the manjari-svarupa of his gurudeva, and understand that she (he) is in the camp of Lalita-sakhi serving under Shri Rupa-manjari. He may perceive that his gurudeva is expertly performing nikunja-seva to assist Radha-Madhava in Their intimate love affairs.

Shrila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura explained the identity of the spiritual master: "Shri Guru is the daughter of Vrsabhanu (Shrimati Radhika) in the madhura-rasa. There are different ways m which different persons, whose faculty of spiritual consciousness has been aroused, judge about their own requirements. Every enlightened person is privileged to have a ^sight of Shri Guru in accordance with his particular mode of

judgement. Shri Guru is that real entity who thus reveals himself to the view of the enlightened soul in a variety of ways. "Realized by the method of valsalya-rasa (mellow of parental affection), Shri Guru reveals himself as Nanda-Yasoda. In sakhya-rasa (mellow of friendly affection), Shri Guru is Shridama-Subala In dasya-rasa (mellow of servitude to the master), the lotus feet of Shri Guru act as Citraka-Patraka. The consideration of all these ashrayas (shelter) of the vishaya (Krishna—the object of love) arises in the heart while progressing in the service of Shri Guru. They arise spontaneously in the consciousness of fortunate souls upon the appearance of the disposition for spiritual service of the Divinity. We have no other function than the service of Shri Guru." (SCT) Shrila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura (Vinoda-vallari manjari) had this vision of his guru: nikuhja-yuno rati-keli-siddhyai, ydydlibhiryuktir apeksaniyd, tatrdti-ddksydd ati-vallabhasya, "The gopis make all tasteful arrangements for the perfection of Radha-Madhava's intimate conjugal pastimes within the Vraja nikunjas. My gurudeva is expertly assisting there as a maidservant of the beloved gopis."

When questioned about the rasa of our Gaudiya acaryas, Shrila Prabhupada replied, "For the most part, all the acaryas in our parampara are in madhurya rasa (manjari bhava)."

Therefore, while chanting the Guru-mantra the disciple will ultimately meditate on his guru in his siddha svarupa as a manjari.

 

Meaning of Aim

Aim is a bija (seed) mantra, which like other bija mantras, is formed by a combination of the simplest sounds. It is called a bija or seed because it contains the energy of a particular mantra within it and all the words of the mantra expand from it. Bija mantras, which denote specific potencies, are primordial sound fragments that have the power to invoke particular energy both within and outside the person uttering them.

Om is the sat bija invoking the potency of eternity (sat). Klirh is the ananda bija invoking the bliss potency (hladini sakti, Shrimati Radhika). Aim is the cit bija invoking the potency of knowledge, and it is the bija mantra for worshiping Goddess Sarasvati.

"The spiritual master opens the eyes of the disciple to the wonders of the spiritual realm, as indicated in the Gayatri prayers by the seed mantra of divine knowledge, aim. (SB 10.87.33 p.)

 

The cit-potency of the living entities is manifested in the spiritual world in relationship with the Lord, but in the material world it is forgotten. Yogamaya, the Lord's divine potency of revelation and union, manifests as Divya Sarasvati (the goddess ₀f spiritual knowledge) through the form of the guru to reveal Krishna-sambandha, abhidheya, and prayojana to the aspiring disciple. On the other hand, the Sarasvati who reveals mundane i_cn„,x']pHrrp to the materialists it Rrahma'c >vif^ the reflected counterpart of Divya Sarasvati, the eternal spiritual consort of Lord Narayana.

The pure devotee spiritual master is empowered with the svarupa-sakti of the Supreme Lord. The svarupa-sakti is a combination of Krishna's knowledge potency (cit or samvit-sakti) and His bliss potency (ananda or hladini-sakti) personified as Lord Balarama and Shrimati Radhika. The word aim, therefore, describes the spiritual master as the source of transcendental knowledge and spiritual strength originating with Shri Baladeva, the original spiritual master. Aim also refers to Shrimati Radharani, who expands as Divya Sarasvati. Since the spiritual master teaches the disciple how to relish transcendental bliss in Krishna's service, he is also a representative of Shrimati Radharani. In the word aim a sincere sadhaka will find transcendental bliss and knowledge coming from Shri Guru, who is empowered with svarupa-sakti to represent Lord Balarama and Shrimati Radharani.

The Guru-mantra and Gaura-mantra are mula mantras used for worshiping the spiritual master and Lord Gauranga. Mula mantras are formed by combinations of bijas used alone or with names of Deities. Such mula mantras, being nondifferent from the Deity, represent the essence of the Deity in sound. They are chanted during meditation to fix the mind on the Deity or recited to address the Lord or the spiritual master while offering articles of worship. When offering flowers to a picture of the spiritual master, for example, one should chant "idampushpam, aimguruve namah" which includes the mula mantra for guru, and the mantra for offering flowers. All mula mantras for worshiping visnu-tattva Deities use the bija syllable klirh.

 

Meaning of Guru-mantra

"I offer my respectful obeisances unto my spiritual master." "I meditate on Shri Hari who has assumed the form of Shri Guru. He has an eternal body filled with pure devotion, and his lotus feet are full of the nectar of mercy. He has a golden complexion wears white cloth, and a fragrant garland. He is an abode of all good qualities and the bestower of good fortune." (Yamala)

"The guru is effulgent and cooling as 10,000 moons. His beautiful hands award fearlessness and display the mudras of benediction. He wears white cloth, a divine garland of white flowers, and is decorated with candana. An abode of peace, He has lotus eyes, a very happy face, and he delights in his bhajana.

"He has a sat-cit-ananda form and readily gives his blessings. He is a handsome, radiant youth (kaisora) with a beautiful golden complexion. Shri Guru faithfully follows his guru-gana (guru parampara), and he is very eager to serve the Lord. With a pure mind the sadhaka should meditate like this upon his gurudeva." (Sanat-kumara Samhita)

 

Guru-gayatri Meaning of Words

Through the Guru-gayatri a sadhaka awakens his appreciation for the spiritual master by whose mercy all the wonderful truths of Krishna consciousness have been revealed. A sincere disciple can attain full guru-darsana, and realize the eternal spiritual form of the spiritual master by the power of this mantra. Fixing the mind on the merciful form of Shri Guru, who is always absorbed in Krishna-prema, the disciple begs for his mercy and continual revelations about the identity of Shri Guru, Gauranga and Radha Giridhari.

The word Krishnanandaya, which is part of the abhidheya aspect of Guru-gayatri, indicates the mood of the guru's loving service to Radharani. Just as the word Syama is a name of Krishna and the word Syama is a name of Radharani, similarly, the word Krishna is a name for Radharani. While meditating on this mantra, one should think how the spiritual master is always giving great bliss, ananda, to Shrimati Radharani by his various services.

 

Meaning of Guru-gayatri

"Let me try to understand my spiritual master who is always in blissful Krishna consciousness. Let me meditate on him being enthused as he enthuses me."

"The Gayatri mantra provides us with a meditation on the spiritual master which maybe applied to Shrila Prabhupada. There actually two mantras to the spiritual master in the Gayatri. The first is aim gurave namah: T make my respectful obeisances unto my spiritual master.' This means one should approach Shrila Prabhupada not as a buddy, but as one would approach the Supreme Personality of Godhead, bowing down and offering obeisances. Shrila Prabhupada actually is a most intimate friend, but he should not be taken as an ordinary person.

'"The Gayatri mantra advises us 'to meditate on him being enthused.' Once when commenting on the word enthusiasm (utsaha) used in Rupa Gosvami's Upadesamrta, Shrila Prabhupada gave himself as an example. He said, 'How could I have come to America at such an old age unless I was enthusiastic?' He was enthusiastic to come to America because his guru ordered, and when for a whole year he got almost no response in America, Shrila Prabhupada remained patient, but still enthusiastic. That enthusiasm can be heard on tape recordings of Prabhupada lecturing on the Lower East Side, where his voice often cracks with earnestness to deliver the message of Krishna consciousness.

"Prabhupada was so enthusiastic to write Shrimad Bhagavatam that he would rise at one in the morning to do so. His composing of his purports was the perfect example of combined patience and enthusiasm. As he said, 'Little drops of water wear away the stone. In this way, I've written all these books.' "Let us meditate" the Gayatri mantra advises, and so one can continue on his own, or in the association of devotees, to think about and to discuss the enthusiastic moods and activities of His Divine Grace Shrila Prabhupada.

"Prabhupada's translation contains a particularly interesting phrase, 'let me meditate on him being enthused as he enthuses us.' A genuine disciple has become enthusiastic in devotional service, and he knows that this is due to the enthusiasm of his spiritual master. We may meditate on how our enthusiastic spiritual master has transferred this sakti of utsaha to us. Prabhupada said that the mother of his disciple, Acyutananda, complained that her son used to lounge around the house all the time and was unwilling to go on errands. But since he had come to live with Swamiji, he was always enthusiastic to cook and to run any errands asked by his spiritual master.

Shrila Prabhupada was also fond of a pamphlet produced by a Christian minister in Boston which made reference to Shrila Prabhupada's enthusiastic disciples. The minister said that he met a Hare Krishna devotee giving out literature in the neighborhood of the church. The priest said, 'These are actually our boys, but previously they were never interested in going to church. Now they have become mad after God.' Shrila Prabhupada also said that it was only by the enthusiasm of his disciples that the Krishna Consciousness Movement was spreading around the world.

"When we do not feel enthusiastic, let us meditate on the enthusiasm of Shrila Prabhupada. Let it ignite within us our natural enthusiasm to serve Krishna. This is krishnanandaya, which motivates all the thoughts and activities of a pure devotee of the Lord. Whether he is grave and silent, or dancing in the kirtana of Lord Chaitanya, whether he is being honored by many followers, or treated as an outcaste, the pure Vaishnava is always merged in enthusiasm and bliss. Let us meditate upon him being enthused just as he enthused us." (PM vol.1)

Before chanting Guru-gayatri, one should meditate on Lord Chaitanya sitting on a golden throne surrounded by Shri Nityananda Prabhu, Gadadhara Pandita and His other most intimate associates. Sitting on a platform below Them is one's parama guru parampara, and one's own gurudeva. All the gurus have effulgent golden complexions and are dressed in pure white garments. In the mind one should worship his gumdeva and the guru parampara with garlands, sandalwood paste, flowers, and other puja paraphernalia. Then chant the Guru-gayatri.