Bhaktivedanta Narayana Gosvami

Still, if he is not like Rupa Manjari and Rati Manjari, and if he is not serving them, he may be a guru in part, but not in full. The highest quality of the guru is service to Radhika, as I have just explained. In this way, Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura is writing, vande guroh sri caranaravindam...

If we do not commit any offences, we will see that, very quickly, our Krsna consciousness will increase. Krsna consciousness coming from our guru-parampara. Try to follow all these principles. Chant and remember, and very quickly Krsna will be merciful. I pray to my gurudeva, my whole guru-parampara, to Sri Krsna, Srimati Radhika, Caitanya Mahaprabhu, Nityananda Prabhu, Baladeva Prabhu that they be merciful to all of you. As Sri Rupa Gosvami has said...

The following is a transcription of Srila Gurudeva speaking on February 23, 2003 in Olpe, Germany, on the topic of his own life history. It was kindly translated from his Hindi talk by Radhika dasi of Russia.

Srila Gaura-kisora dasa Babaji Maharaja was illiterate; he could not even write his own name. When he would speak, however, he would do so with all Vedic references. Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura Prabhupada was the greatest scholar of his time, and he accepted Srila Gaura-kisora dasa Babaji Maharaja as his Guru...

I have seen how my Gurudeva and his god-brothers used to observe their Vyasa-puja. They used to worship their guru and entire guru-parampara, because the knowledge of Krsna and bhakti, or pure devotion, to Krsna does not come only from guru. Where did guru receive this from? He received it from his gurudeva, His gurudeva received from his gurudeva, and so on. In the end, we see that Krsna is jagat-guru: "Krsnam vande jagat-gurum."

Whatever I have instructed you, I have received from the instructions of Srila Rupa Gosvami, Srila Jiva Gosvami, Srila Sanatana Gosvami, Srila Narottama dasa Thakura, Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura and Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura. They are very near to us, and by their mercy they can give us strength in tattva-siddhanta and good character...

Today we are going to observe guru-puja, or Vyasa-puja. First of all we should know what is guru-puja and what is Vyasa puja. Both are the same. Sri Krsna Dvaipayana Vedavyasa divided the one Veda into four. Then to reconcile, because it was difficult to extract the essence of the four Vedas, he wrote Brahma-Sutra (Vedanta-sutra).

I have previously explained about the duties of disciples. I explained that guru-nishta is the backbone of bhakti. Without guru-nishta, no one can have any kind of devotion. One may have taken initiation, but if there is no nishta, he is inferior to a person who has not taken initiation and has not had a fire sacrifice, but is actually following guru. I have seen and realized this...

The program began with traditional and ancient songs sung by the Nandagaon and Varsana panditas. After that the various representatives of each village performed the puspa abhiseka ("bathing" with a shower of flowers) of Srila Narayana Gosvami Maharaja. All the heads of the various communities representatives threw flowers on Srila Maharaja's divine body and honored him by placing garlands on him. Svami Shamaji, the head of the World Religions Parliament, gave Srila Maharaja an upper cloth, a special cloth for the Yuga Acarya. A certificate was then presented to Srila Maharaja by Deepak Raja Bhatta, who is the head of Vrajacarya Pith.