Secrets of the Soul 19

dehino ’smin yathā dehe
kaumāraṁ yauvanaṁ jarā
tathā dehāntara-prāptir
dhīras tatra na muhyati

“As the embodied soul continuously passes, in this body, from boyhood to youth to old age, the soul similarly passes into another body at death. A sober person is not bewildered by such a change.” [Bhagavad-gita 2.13]

In the beginning of Bhagavad-gita, Arjuna was confronted with a problem he could not solve with his own intelligence and resources. Therefore he surrendered to Kṛṣṇa:

kārpaṇya-doṣopahata-svabhāvaḥ
pṛcchāmi tvāṁ dharma-sammūḍha-cetāḥ
yac chreyaḥ syān niścitaṁ brūhi tan me
śiṣyas te ’haṁ śādhi māṁ tvāṁ prapannam

“Now I am confused about my duty and have lost all composure because of miserly weakness. In this condition I am asking You to tell me for certain what is best for me. Now I am Your disciple, and a soul surrendered unto You. Please instruct me.” [Bhagavad-gita 2.7]

When Arjuna was puzzled by the difficult situation on the battlefield of Kuruksetra, he lost his will to fight, although he was the greatest hero of his time. He became adhira, lost his composure, and was bewildered by the need to fight his close relatives. Therefore he thought it wise to accept Kṛṣṇa not as his friend, but as guru. Of course he remained Kṛṣṇa’s friend, but at the same time, he accepted Him as his spiritual master.

Sisyas te’ ham sadhi mam tvam prapannam: the duty of the disciple is to fully surrender unto the spiritual master. Unless you can surrender, you should not accept anyone as spiritual master. If you want the spiritual master to abide by your order, then that acceptance of spiritual master is a farce. It is phony; actually, it is not acceptance but rejection. Actual acceptance of spiritual master means that one should surrender unto him and follow his instructions.

tad viddhi praṇipātena
paripraśnena sevayā
upadekṣyanti te jñānaṁ
jñāninas tattva-darśinaḥ

“Just try to learn the truth by approaching a spiritual master. Inquire from him submissively and render service unto him. The self-realized souls can impart knowledge unto you because they have seen the truth.” [Bhagavad-gita 4.34]

If you want to learn that transcendental science, tad viddhi, you have to understand it from a self-realized soul. Pranipatena: by approaching a bona fide self-realized spiritual Master Teacher. How? Prakrsta-rupena nipata: full surrender to the bona fide guru means accepting him as the representative of God, falling flat at his beautiful lotus feet: “My dear Sir, I surrender completely unto you.” Pranipatena pariprasnena: after offering complete surrender and sincere service, then you may inquire about all questions of spiritual life and get complete satisfaction.

According to the principles of the Esoteric Teaching, nobody has the right to question a Master Teacher unless he is accepted as a spiritual master. To ask out of simple curiosity is a waste of time; you will not get any benefit from such casual inquiry. Spiritual life is not just curiosity; it is literally a matter of life and death. If you want to question a Master Teacher or self-realized soul, you must accept his answer and follow his instruction as your very life and soul. You cannot argue, although you certainly can and should continue to submit sincere questions until you understand.

The self-realized Master Teacher can initiate you into real spiritual consciousness, because he has personally realized it. Spiritual knowledge is necessary, but not sufficient for transcendental realization; we also must purify our hearts by spiritual service. Finally, we must perform the mysterious process of yoga, or linking our limited individual consciousness with the Supreme Consciousness: Brahman, Paramatma or the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

The perfection of yoga practice is attainable through the study of this Esoteric Teaching, although this study is only the beginning of the process of self-realization. How to actually attain the perfection of yoga is a great mystery, and the doorway to this mystery is opened within our own hearts by the spiritual influence of the Master Teacher.

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