Short Lecture by Jagadguru Shri Kripalu Ji Maharaj



Thaakur Yugal Kishor Hamaaro, Chaakar hum piya pyaaree ke.
Guru sevaa hee dharm hamaaro, daas naa hum shruti chaari ke.

A Braj Rasik (referring to a devotee of the form of God that did leelas in Braj - Vrindavan) says that Shri Radha Krishna are my only Lord and Master. In addition, I am also devoted to serving my Guru in the same way. These are the only three personalities I serve and follow. I am no longer a slave to the four Vedas either.

Scriptures say - go and surrender to a Guru who is theoretically proficient in all the scriptures, and has practical experience in the way of God-Realization. O Souls! Wake up, go and learn from the Guru about who you are, where you have to go and how to get there. Surrender your mind and intellect, serve Him and learn from Him about the nature of soul, maya, mind, intellect, God etc. and only then will you be able to progress on the practical aspect of devotion.

Tulasi Ramayan says
Guru binu bhava nidhi, tarayi na koi, jo biranchi shankar sam hoi
and
Guru binu hoi na gyan kachu

Since, before God-Realisation we cannot serve God, until then our seva is focused on our Guru.

But... you may say - how can you disregard the Vedas?

The Rasik devotee respects and bows to the Vedas, but stays far away and focused on his path. Why? Because there is heavy philosophy described in the Vedas, but they are devoid of the leelas of our beloved Radha-Krishna. And it is these leelas that will help us develop love for them and bring forth the eight 'maha-bhav' (expressions of spiritual love). Srimad Bhagavatam says that until these eight maha-bhav come forth spontaneously, your mind and heart have not become pure. Maha-bhav like stambh (motionless), svedh (perspiration), romanch (shivers), ashru (tears) etc. cannot be received by reading the Vedas. Vedas only tend to build an ego for the knowledgeable. Little knowledge can be dangerous.

Ved Vyas said those who are illiterate are in the best situation because they accept the directives from the Guru without questioning. That is how Valmiki became a saint - by obeying his Guru without question. Or else, one should be such an immense intellectual that after receiving complete knowledge, they understand the message of the scriptures and therefore throw the entire knowledge into the river and focus on the practical aspect of devotion. After all, the Vedas are nothing but full of 'vidhi' and 'nishedh' (Dos and Don'ts).

However, in devotion there is only one Do and one Don't.
Do - always remember Hari-Guru.
Don't - never forget Hari-Guru.

Everything else is a waste.

In Srimad Bhagavatam, every shloka is focused on and points to love for Radha Krishna. Shri Krishna says - only I know the intricacies of all that is written in the Vedas. Only that karma (action), gyan (knowledge) and prem (love) that is dedicated and focused on Me is true karma, gyan and bhakti. This is the essence of all knowledge. That is why the rasiks reject the Vedas and refuse to bow to it. Instead they will bow to any one who devotes themselves to Radha-Krishna.

When Yamraj (Death personified) comes for a soul, he snatches it from the body and drags it away. However, when he approaches a God-Realized saint, he comes and bows and humbly reminds the saint that based on the original plan, it is time for the saint to leave, but has the choice to stay. So, for a saint, the requirements of the Vedas have no meaning.
That is why, Rasik devotees are focused only on Radha-Krishna and Guru. Worshipping them is considered having pleased the rest of the universe. Everyone is pleased with your devotion. If someone gets upset, then they have to answer to God.

One Do - always remember Hari-Guru
One Don't - never forget Hari-Guru

Did you forget them for a fraction of a second? Then you did not follow the simple requirement of one Do and one Don't to perfection. That means your mind was on the world for that fraction of a second. So, if you happen to die at that moment, then you will go back to the world. The law is that wherever your mind was focused at the time of death is where you will go in the next lifetime. That is why the scriptures and Saints keep repeating that you should constantly think of Hari-Guru, for you never know when you may be forced to leave this body.

This is the meaning behind the two lines of this Kirtan.
Jagadguru Shri Kripalu Ji Maharaj explaining the first two lines of the Kirtan

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