Sri Baladeva is Guru (9.8)

Sri Baladeva is guru

Vrndavana: August 12, 2003, Sri Srimad Bhaktivedanta Narayana Maharaja

Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa appeared as Śrī Baladeva Prabhu, to give instructions on how to serve Himself. As one may massage his feet by his own hands, so Baladeva is Kṛṣṇa Himself, in the form of the supreme Guru, to teach others how to serve His lotus feet. They are one, but there is a slight difference in their forms; Kṛṣṇa is black and Baladeva is white, and Kṛṣṇa carries a flute whereas Baladeva carries a buffalo horn. Because Baladeva teaches service to Kṛṣṇa, he is called akhaṇḍa-guru-tattva, the complete and undivided principle of Guru.

When Śrī Baladeva killed the donkey-shaped demon named Dhenukāsura, He showed that only Guru can remove our ignorance. When he killed the demon Pralambāsura, he showed that only the bona fide Guru can remove our hypocrisy and tendency towards political diplomacy.

During the battle of Kurukṣetra, when Bhīma was fighting with Duryodhana, Bhīma “cheated”, according to the codes of a kṣatriya, by striking Duryodhana on his thigh. Baladeva became angry because Duryodhana was his disciple. However, when he understood that Bhīma had gotten the indication from Kṛṣṇa to do what he did, Baladeva didn’t say anything and simply left to go on pilgrimage.

While on pilgrimage He went to Naimiṣāraṇya, where Romaharṣaṇa was speaking the Purāṇas to 88,000 sages. The sages all stood up to show him respect and honor, but Romaharṣaṇa did not; he did not even fold his palms. Lord Baladeva is the personification of religion, and He wanted to establish the religious etiquette between Guru and disciple. If one tries to teach others and at the same time is offensive to the bona fide Guru, he is destroyed. Romaharṣaṇa was a prominent disciple of Śrīla Vyāsadeva, whose Guru is Śrī Baladeva Prabhu.

Śrī Baladeva touched Romaharṣaṇa with a piece of kuśa grass and he immediately died. The sages lamented and asked, “Who will speak the Purāṇas?” Baladeva replied, “Don’t worry. I can bring him back to life.” They said, “No, what you have done is proper, but we need a speaker.” Baladeva then called for Romaharṣaṇa’s son Ugraśravā, and blessed him to be the speaker. Ugra means tenacious and śravā means hearing. Because Ugraśravā was blessed by Baladeva Prabhu, he had a great capacity for hearing hari-kathā.

In Rāma-līlā there was a gorilla named Dvivida, who performed profuse service to Rāma. He helped build the bridge to Laṅkā and he helped in the war against Rāvaṇa. Although he was devoted to Rāma, he was offensive to Lakṣmaṇa, Rāma’s younger brother, who is a manifestation of Baladeva and is therefore a manifestation of akhaṇḍa-guru-tattva. 

Dvivida gorilla was against Lakṣmaṇa, and during kṛṣṇa-līlā, he was also against Śrī Baladeva Prabhu. If one is against āśraya-bhagavān (Śrī Kṛṣṇa in the form of His servant), then viṣaya-bhagavān (Kṛṣṇa as the Supreme Enjoyer) will not protect or forgive him. The only fruit of that person’s offense to Guru is his destruction by the club and plow of Baladeva Prabhu.

If there is no guru-bhakti, life is useless. Guru-niṣṭhā (steady faith in Guru) is the backbone of bhakti, and without it life has no use. Suppose a person comes to you, speaks hari-kathā, and then says, “Come with me; I will take you to a bona fide Guru.” If you then you go to that Guru and receive the initiation mantras, can you ever repay that person who brought you? Even if that person is a kaniṣṭha-adhikārī, the third class of Vaiṣṇava, if he is telling you what is bhakti and you are not grateful, you lose your bhakti.

Is it possible to repay the debt accrued for receiving transcendental knowledge? Even if your teacher is kaniṣṭha, it is an offence not to repay him – and what to speak if he is an uttama-mahā-bhāgavata, a bona fide Guru who is a manifestation of Kṛṣṇa, and he is looking after you. If you go against him, Śrī Kṛṣṇa will create a hell worse than anything He has already made, and that hell will be waiting for you. If one offends a bona fide Guru, millions upon millions of his future lives are lost and wasted.

If a person rejects a bona fide Guru, don’t maintain any friendship with him. This is not a laughing matter. If you keep association with karmīs, jñānīs and yogīs, even those in the dress of Vaiṣṇavas, you will lose your bhakti very quickly. Don’t praise them and don’t criticize them, or you will lose your bhakti. Don’t associate by body or mind.

Criticizing them is to associate by the mind. Keep such persons out of your mind; otherwise you will very quickly get their qualities. If you throw water on an electric wire, the electrified water will splash back on you and you will get electrocuted. So don’t criticize even one who is offensive to Guru. If you associate with those who are offensive or sinful, their qualities will reflect in your own heart. So be careful.

Don’t associate with them, even in dreams. If anyone is against Guru, don’t even see his shadow; otherwise your bhakti will not manifest for millions upon millions of lives. Bhakti can only manifest by Guru’s mercy. With this consideration, move on in life.

This evening we will again sit together and discuss the tattva of Śrī Baladeva Prabhu.

Editor: Syamarani dasi Proofreader: BV Vaikhanas Maharaja