Gauragopala Das ACBSP: Poem by Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura.

"He reason ill who tells that Vaisnavas die

When thou art living still in sound!

The Vaisnavas die to live, and living try

To spread the Holy Name around!"

(Poem by Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura)

ajñāna-timirāndhasya

jñānāñjana-śalākayā

cakṣur unmīlitaṁ yena

tasmai śrī-gurave namaḥ

[I offer my respectful obeisances unto my spiritual master, who, with the torchlight of knowledge, has opened my eyes, which were blinded by the darkness of ignorance.]

saṁsāra-dāvānala-līḍha-loka-

trāṇāya kāruṇya-ghanāghanatvam

prāptasya kalyāṇa-guṇārṇavasya

vande guroḥ śrī-caraṇāravindam

[The spiritual master is receiving benediction from the ocean of mercy. Just as a cloud pours water on a forest fire to extinguish it, so the spiritual master delivers the materially afflicted world by extinguishing the blazing fire of material existence.

I offer my respectful obeisances unto the lotus feet of such a spiritual master, who is an ocean of auspicious qualities.]

mahāprabhoḥ kīrtana-nṛtya-gīta-

vāditra-mādyan-manaso rasena

romāñca -kampāśru-taraṅga-bhājo

vande guroḥ śrī-caraṇāravindam

[Chanting the holy name, dancing in ecstasy, singing, and playing musical instruments, the spiritual master is always gladdened by the saṅkīrtana movement of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu.

Because he is relishing the mellows of pure devotion within his mind, sometimes his hair stands on end, he feels quivering in his body, and tears flow from his eyes like waves.

I offer my respectful obeisances unto the lotus feet of such a spiritual master.]

saṁsāra-dāvānala-līḍha-loka-

trāṇāya kāruṇya-ghanāghanatvam

prāptasya kalyāṇa-guṇārṇavasya

vande guroḥ śrī-caraṇāravindam

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 kinds 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 disciple from the blazing fire of this material existence. That is the eternal qualification of spiritual master.

[break] Trāṇāya kāruṇya-ghanāghanatvam. Trāṇāya means for deliverance; kāruṇya 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 ghanāghanatvam. Ghanāghanatvam 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 clouds 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 existentional blazing fire cannot be extinguished by any man-made method.

They are planning to be very comfortable in this material existence, but they are still more being confused and failure. That peace movement, that United Nation movement, everything is failure.

Why?

These miseries of this material existence cannot be stopped by any material means. One has to take the shelter of spiritual means.

Just like the blazing fire in the forest has to wait for the cloud in the sky, similarly, one has to wait for the merciful cloud as the spiritual master. That is described. Trāṇāya kāruṇya-ghanāghanatvam, prāptasya kalyāṇa-guṇārṇavasya.

I offer my respectful obeisances unto the lotus feet of such a spiritual master, who is an ocean of auspicious qualities.]

So the spiritual master is not self-made. It is not that if anyone comes before you and bluffs you that "I have attained spiritual perfection, and I have realized something by some method."

No. The spiritual master, bona fide spiritual, means he has to receive the power from authority. Otherwise it is useless.

No. It is not that one can become spiritual master overnight. He has to take the power from his spiritual master.

Therefore it is called prāptasya. Prāptasya means one who has obtained, one who has got the merciful blessings of his spiritual master.

We should always remember that the spiritual master is in the disciplic succession. The original spiritual master is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He blesses His next disciple, just like Brahmā.

Brahmā blesses his next disciple, just like Nārada. Nārada blesses his next disciple, just like Vyāsa. Vyāsa blesses his next disciple, Mādhvācārya.

Similarly, the blessing is coming. Just like royal succession—the throne is inherited by disciplic or hereditary succession—similarly, this power from the Supreme Personality of Godhead has to receive.

Nobody can preach, nobody can become a spiritual master, without obtaining power from the right source. Therefore the very word, it is stated here, prāptasya.

Prāptasya means "one who has obtained." Prāptasya kalyāṇa.

What he has obtained? Kalyāṇa. Kalyāṇa means auspicity. He has received something which is auspicious for all the humankind. Prāptasya kalyāṇa-guṇārṇavasya.

Here is another example: guṇārnava. Arṇava means ocean, and guṇa means spiritual qualities. Just like the same example is going on.

It is very nice poetry. There is nice rhetorics and metaphor. The example is set, blazing fire, and it is to be extinguished with the cloud. And wherefrom the cloud comes?

Similarly, wherefrom the spiritual master receives the mercy? The cloud receives his potency from the ocean.

Therefore the spiritual master also receives his power from the ocean of spiritual qualities, that is, from the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

So prāptasya kalyāṇa-guṇārṇavasya. Such kind of spiritual master one has to accept, and vande guroḥ śrī caraṇāravindam, and one has to offer his respectful obeisances to such authorized spiritual master.

(Bhajan and Purport to Śrī-Śrī-Gurv-aṣṭakam Jan. 2, 1969, Los Angeles)

All Glories To His Divine Grace Srila Prabhupada!