Search for my Bonafide Spiritual Master

My journey in this cycle of birth started on 9^th August in Mysore, India. I was very fortunate to have very nice loving parents who always followed vegetarianism at home and had daily morning pujas. I also remember us having the Krishna book and I used to flip pages to see the pictures. I brought it along with me when I moved to the States, don’t know why but I did! Our ishth devta has been Hanumanji and now I can understand that he was always trying to get us all to become sincere devotees like him. Just like when he opened his heart, there was Sita mata and Sri Ram sitting there. I was fortunate to be in touch with Krishna right from my childhood. We had the ISKCON temple in Mysore just next road to where we lived! As I jog my memory, I remember going to the temple for Janmastami and Sunday feast. Little did I know then that it was Krishna’s arrangement and mercy that I got Prasad! Later when I was working in Bangalore Krishna again called me to get me in touch with him by allowing me to visit the ISKCON temple there. But, because of my material conditioning and having so much dust on my soul, I wasn’t able to make any relationship with him.

I moved to Ohio for my masters and work. Things took a turn when I was almost about to lose my job during the 2010 recession, when I looked for a job and found one in Roanoke, VA! I had never heard of this place, let alone know where it was located on the map. But, everything happens for a reason. My boss, Hari prabhu has been in ISKCON (in NJ) for almost 10 years and we got talking about how both I and Shilpa (my wife) are interested in reading the Bhagavad Gita. We decided to start a small weekly class (BV) to have kirtan, chant 1 round, read the BG, discuss and have prasad. He took me to Sandy Ridge, NC for Gaura Poornima where I first met HG Mitra Sena Prabhuji. He told me about the Gaur Nitai Deities and what was happening during the abhishek. I was very excited with the kirtan, meeting such pure souls and listening. He also told me about a Thursday BG call which we started to attend weekly.

The biggest change in my life would be attending the Festival of Inspiration in 2011. I was so fortunate to get to listen to very pure souls and senior Prabhupada disciples. I fondly remember attending Gurudev’s  sessions, listening to Radha Krishna bol bol and also understanding the essence of Krishna Consciousness. The moment Shilpa and I sat in the car to go back to Roanoke after 3 days of bliss – we both looked at each other and at that very moment decided to follow the 4 regulative principles very seriously. We also decided to chant 1 round in the morning. So since then, I have been following the 4 regulative principles very seriously. By Krishna’s mercy, Mitra prabhu, who is a very senior Prabhupada disciple, started the SB call every Monday and Thursday for 2 hours and we started getting their association. Gradually our BV started to grow and we were able to attract sanyasis' to visit us at Roanoke. I was deeply touched by HG Radhika Raman Prabhuji and HG Kratu prabhuji’s words. Kratu prabhu when here, looked at me and said – are you going to chant 16 rounds daily? I said I’ll try. He said it’s either yes or no! Since then I’ve been chanting 16 rounds. So, it had been a year and it was time for Festival of Inspiration 2012. And all year, I had been craving to listen to “Radha Krishna bol bol” and get Gurudev’s association again. I met him on the very first day at mangal aarti and requested him to sing the kirtan. He said, " I have two lectures scheduled and will sing it in either one, so you have to attend bothJ." I had already planned to, but what was so touching that he started his first lecture with “Radha Krishna bol bol” and I had no words. Gurudev’s lectures are so powerful and inspiring. He is enthusiasm personified and it had a BIG effect on me. Driving back after the festival we decided to make Roanoke bigger that what we had. 

I had the good fortune of meeting HG Aditya-Narayan Prabhuji there and kept in touch with him about Gurudev’s program to Hillsborough. I got a chance to meet Gurudev there, talk to him, learn from him and practice with him while he was there. That had a very strong impact on me and heart of hearts I knew I had found my spiritual master. I took back valuable information to Roanoke and we had our MSFs here. I had never distributed books and it is such a sweet service. When I got to know from Loka prabhu that he was coming to DC, we decided to come for sure. Again I had the good fortune to meet and talk to him at length and I was then convinced that he was my spiritual master. Yet, I felt I wasn’t worthy to even ask him for diksha then.  He was also so merciful by giving us the Chaitanya Charitamrita and our first Sri Sri Gaur Nitai Deities.

Krishna was very merciful when he allowed us to visit his holy dhaam Vrindavan for the first time this January 2013. As I was walking in the holy dhaam with KC, one thought kept coming to me again and again and again. “I should approach Gurudev for his shelter” Even though I didn’t consider myself worthy, he was so merciful that he called me (because he didn’t get to reply to my email – so merciful and kind) and asked “What is on your mind?”

That’s when I revealed my mind to my dear Gurudev and asked formally for his shelter on March 7^th 2013 at 7pm on Vijiya Ekadasi day. I’m a wretched fallen soul and I’m ever so grateful to him for giving me his sweet shelter.  I have accepted him as my bonafide spiritual master with my body, mind, intelligence and soul and will remain so even if he handles me roughly by his embrace. I will try to eternally satisfy him and am ready to serve him completely.

Thursday Call by Shyamsundar Prabhu

Bhagavad-gītā As It Is 10.2

na me viduḥ sura-gaṇāḥ
prabhavaḿ na maharṣayaḥ
aham ādir hi devānāḿ
maharṣīṇāḿ ca sarvaśaḥ
"Neither the hosts of demigods nor the great sages know My origin or opulences, for, in every respect, I am the source of the demigods and sages."

In the 9th chapter we learnt the most confidential knowledge. And Krishna gives the most important verse in "Always engage in my service and surely you will come to me - Man mana..." Now in this chapter Krisna is giving more knowledge about himself. The mind is so dynamic that every moment we are constantly thinking about something or the other. Why are we forced to think - because they seem to be very attractive. We desire things, we desire people, because we feel very attracted to them. But we need to research about Krishna and hence Krishna's opulence is so absolute as they draw us in his attention and it forces us to think who is think, why is this. Having said that Krishna is now about to explain something which is so extraordinary. I'm the source of all demigods, all devatas are coming from him.

All sages are also coming from him. Brhamaji is also bewildered seeing his opulence as nobody can understand him. Even Krishna can't understand himself. One cannot even fathom and understand Krishna - why? Because his pastitmes, qualities, leelas, are all unlimited. Not only unlimited but also on a different platform altogether. Because it is under the jurisdiction of his internal energy - the ladini energy. Hence we need the mercy of Radha rani to understand Krishna.

The first opulence is Krishna's unlimitedness. No one can catch Krishna. So many demons were trying to catch Krishna but nobody could catch Krishna, No body could catch him at all. So many yogis are trying to catch Krishna but how is he caught - Only by Bhakti baddam. Only by Bhakti he is caught. Ex - Yashodamata trying to catch him. Or Radha rani's bhakti to catch him. But only by Krishna's mercy it is possible.

Pleasing Krishna is so simple, just please the devotees and just adopt that mood just what Krishna wants. Be humble, more humble than the blade of grass. Don't expect anything, just keep giving. The opulences of Krishna is also for us to become humble. That we are just fireflys we are so insignificant. Krishna is so great. This is the beginning of Bhakti. Demigods can't understand, sages can't understand. But Krishna can reveal to you if he wants only if he sees you are sincere. Same way concentrate on Sri Chaitanya prabhu and give your soul to sankirtan yajna. How was he teaching - When he went to Gaya and comes back he says I have wasted my life and now I want to take initiation and to just service the devotee and do menial services to the devotees so he can serve the Vaishnavas. Supreme Personality of Godhead is telling us with his own experience how to please Krishna by serving the vaishnavas.

No body can understand krishna but only the devotee with his dint of devotion to the vaishnavas can please Krishna.

Everybody in Vrindavan is under yoga maya which is the internal energy of Krishna or the ladhini energy which is Radha rani. So you might be in any bhava ex yashoda mata was in vatsalya bhava but her love towards Krishna is only through the mercy of Radharani. So, we should pray to Radharani to get her mercy. And the way to it is by serving the Spiritual master, because only through him can he light the torchlight of darkness. And by serving the devotees and the spiritual master you can get the mercy of Krishna and Srimati Radharani.