Guru Purnima

 

I am glad to learn that you have performed the Guru Purnima Ceremony by Kirtan; that is all right. But this Guru Purnima is generally performed by the Mayavadi sects. The idea of Guru Purnima is to offer gratitude to the Spiritual Master by the disciple once in a year. That is called Guru Purnima. So far as we are concerned, Gaudiya Vaisnavas, we offer all our gratefulness to the Spiritual Master on His Appearance Day Ceremony, called Vyasa Puja. So kirtan is our daily function; whatever you have done is all right, but actual worship of the Spiritual Master will be done by all of my disciples on the fifth day of September, just one day after Janmastami.
(690802 – Letter to Gaurasundara written from Los Angeles)

You write that you have desire to avail of my association again, but why do you forget that you are always in association with me? When you are helping my missionary activities I am always thinking of you and you are always thinking of me. That is real association. Just like I always think of my Guru Maharaj every moment, although He is not physically present, and because I am trying to serve Him to my best capacity, I am sure He is helping me by His spiritual blessings. So there are two kinds of association: physical and preceptorial. Physical association is not so important as preceptorial association. So try to preach this Krishna Consciousness Movement amongst the hippies there, and simply induce them to chant Hare Krishna. If they kindly join in chanting Hare Krishna, that will make our movement successful. Then gradually make them more and more advanced by participating in Love Feasts and ceremonies, like Janmastami and Rathayatra. Then everything will go smoothly. The only thing wanted is that we should work very sincerely, with full faith in Krishna and the Spiritual Master. Then all help will come automatically……Regarding Holy Days, I am very glad that you performed Guru Purnima, and you offered puffed up cachores. You must have enjoyed Prasadam very nicely, but you forgot the statement bracketed on that list, ‘special honoring of the Spiritual Master’, and that you had to send some contribution to the book fund. Never mind, you can do it again on the 5th of September and rectify the mistake.
(690817 – Letter to Govinda dasi written from Los Angeles)

You are singing daily day, daily guru. Now, today is gurupūrṇimā. Especially we should understand what is the power of attorney. Anyone can recite this verse, śrī-guru-caraṇa?
Dhṛṣṭadyumna: Śrī-guru-caraṇa-padma, kevala-bhakti-sadma, vando mui sāvadhāna mate.
Prabhupāda: Sāvadhāna mate. So this is the beginning, that if you want to be devotee, then you must approach the spiritual master who has got the power of attorney. Śrī-guru-caraṇa-padma, kevala-bhakti-sadma, vando mui sāvadhāna mate. Sāvadhāna means very carefully, not whimsically. Then?
Dhṛṣṭadyumna: Yāṅhāra prasāde bhāi . . .
Prabhupāda: Yāṅhāra prasāde bhai, ei bhava toriyā yāi. Huh? Kṛṣṇa-prāpti hoy yāhā hoite. So why one should go to spiritual master? Because yāṅhāra prasāde bhāi: “My dear brother, if you get the benediction from the spiritual master . . .” yāṅhāra prasāde bhāi, ei bhava toriyā yāi. What is that benediction? The benediction is not that “Cure my disease.” They do not know, generally; therefore they are cheated. The other day in Washington, one lady came with bandage. So she came for curing the leg trouble. (laughter) That is going on. “Why you should approach a spiritual master? There is so many doctors, hospital. You go there.” “No. Here you show me your miracles.” And people are also cheating like that—some miracles, and he becomes God. This is going on. But the miracle of spiritual master is yāṅhāra prasāde bhāi, ei bhava toriyā yāi. This is miracle: no more material existence. Then ei bhava toriyā yāi. So real life means one can cross over the ocean of nescience. That is real gain. That is the real favor of spiritual master, not that cure your leg and again walk here and again become, break your leg, and again come. Not like that. Ei bhava toriyā yāi. Then?
(760711 – Lecture CC Madhya 20.105 – New York)

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