Spiritual Master Delivers, Srila Prabhupada Delivers
The spiritual master delivers the disciple from maya by initiating him into the chanting of the holy name: It is the spiritual master who delivers the disciple from the clutches of maya by…
The spiritual master delivers the disciple from maya by initiating him into the chanting of the holy name: It is the spiritual master who delivers the disciple from the clutches of maya by initiating him into the chanting of the Hare Krishna maha-mantra. In this way a sleeping human being can revive his consciousness by chanting Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. In other words, the spiritual master awakens the sleeping living entity to his original consciousness so that he can worship Lord Vishnu. This is the purpose of diksha, or initiation. Initiation means receiving the pure knowledge of spiritual consciousness. (Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Madhya-lila 9.61) One must receive the maha-mantra from a guru, who makes it more powerful: Lord Shiva voluntarily came to bless the sons of the King as well as do something beneficial for them. He personally chanted the mantra so that the mantra would be more powerful, and he advised that the mantra be chanted by the King’s sons (raja-putras). When a mantra is chanted by a great devotee, the mantra becomes more powerful. Although the Hare Krishna maha- mantra is powerful in itself, a disciple upon initiation receives the mantra from his spiritual master, for when the mantra is chanted by the spiritual master, it becomes more powerful. Lord Shiva advised the sons of the King to hear him attentively, for inattentive hearing is offensive.
(Srimad-Bhagavatam 4.24.31-32) The spiritual master delivers the disciple from ignorance to knowledge and freedom: Your Lordship is my only means of getting out of this darkest region of ignorance because You are my transcendental eye, which, by Your mercy only, I have attained after many, many births.
PURPORT: This verse is very instructive, since it indicates the relationship between the spiritual master and the disciple. The disciple or conditioned soul is put into this darkest region of ignorance and therefore is entangled in the material existence of sense gratification. It is very difficult to get out of this entanglement and attain freedom, but if one is fortunate enough to get the association of a spiritual master like Kapila Muni or His representative then by His grace one
can be delivered from the mire of ignorance. The spiritual master is therefore worshiped as one who delivers the disciple from the mire of ignorance with the light of the torch of knowledge. The word para-gam is very significant. Para-gam means one who can take the disciple to the other side. This side is conditioned life; the other side is the life of freedom. The spiritual master takes the disciple to the other side by opening his eyes with knowledge. We are suffering simply because of ignorance. By the instruction of the spiritual master, the darkness of ignorance is removed, and thus the disciple is enabled to go to the side of freedom. It is stated in Bhagavad- gita that after many, many births one surrenders to the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Similarly, if, after many, many births, one is able to find a bona fide spiritual master and surrender to such a bona fide representative of Krishna, he can be taken to the side of light.
(Srimad-Bhagavatam 3.25.8) The constant symptom of the spiritual master is that he can deliver his disciples; That is the eternal qualification of spiritual master This song is offering obeisances particularly to the spiritual master, and the symptoms of the spiritual master are described in this prayer. The spiritual master has two kind of symptoms in his activities. One kind is called constant, and other kind is called temporary. So the first verse says that the constant symptom of the spiritual master is that he can deliver his disciples from the blazing fire of this material existence. That is the eternal qualification of spiritual master.
Traëaya means for deliverance, and karuëya means compassionate, very merciful. The spiritual master comes to the deliverance of the fallen souls out of his causeless mercy. Nobody has any business for the sufferings of others. The best example is Lord Jesus Christ, that he suffered for others. And it is the principle in the Bible that he accepted all the sins of others. This is the sign of spiritual master, that he voluntarily accepts the sinful activities of others and delivers them.
That is the qualification of spiritual master. How it is? Just like ghanaghanatvam.
Ghanaghanatvam means dense cloud in the sky. The first example has been said, that this material existence is just like forest blazing fire. Now, to extinguish the forest blazing fire, there is no use of sending fire brigade. The fire brigade cannot approach the forest fire; neither any man can go there to extinguish the fire. One has to depend completely on the mercy of nature.
That means one has to completely depend on the cloud in the sky. Otherwise, there is no question of pouring water on that blazing fire. So the example is very appropriate. As man-made engine or fire brigade is unable to extinguish the forest blazing fire, similarly, the material existential blazing fire cannot be extinguished by any man-made method. (Purport to Sri-Sri- Gurv-astakam — January 2, 1969, Los Angeles) To extinguish a roaring forest fire there must be volumes of water; in other words, there must be an arrangement that is beyond human endeavor. When there is a merciful cloud over the forest fire, the cloud bursts, rain pours down in torrents, and the blazing fire is immediately extinguished. As a cloud collects water from the ocean, similarly the spiritual master collects water from Krishna’s ocean of mercy and pours it over the blazing fire of material existence.
Thus one who bestows or distributes the merciful rain of Krishna is called a spiritual master or guru. (Elevation to Krishna, Chapter 5: Knowing Krishna’s Energies)