The duty of the spiritual master is to chastise

Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami: I asked, You say sometimes only a very small percentage of the population can take to Krishna consciousness, but yesterday you said millions can. He said, "It depends, then, on our preaching." Our preaching has to be pure without sense gratification. What about tyagis who don't worship Krishna? He said, "They will go up and come down again." If you had to stay eternally in this field (big expanse of agricultural field in Mayapur under a clear blue sky), would you like it? No, it is not blissful! But in the temple you could stay, Vaikuntha. If you had to stay in this field you would say, let me go to Calcutta. Jayadvaita asked about made-up bhajanas.

Srila Prabhupada said, "It was better to stick to Hare Krishna and Sri Krishna Caitanya." I asked about authorized bhajanas during arati. He said jiv' jago was all right, but better to stick to Hare Krishna. Then JDB asked, sometimes the acarya seems to make mistakes. He said that is our imperfect understanding. You do not know what perfection is. The acarya's perfection is his preaching. See how he is preaching (you have a misunderstanding of his perfection). I asked how his thousands of disciples can reciprocate with him.

He said, "The spiritual master has representatives, GBC and presidents." He was asked, "But what about a personal relationship?" He said, "Their obedience." If they follow the spiritual master's order.

One boy quoted Vyasa saying to Narada, "Search out the defect in me as you are as good as the all-pervading Supersoul."

He said, "Yes, he found the defect in him that he wasn't glorifying Krishna."

I asked, "The Gita says a disciple with a bona fide spiritual master is supposed to know everything. What is everything?"

He said, "Guru isn't God that he knows Krishna as Krishna does. If he surrenders to Krishna that You are everything, then he knows everything." Krishna is everything.

He said, "The disciple should be chastised. It is good for him." Lord Caitanya saw Himself as a fool before His spiritual master. We should feel like that. He was asked if he were ever chastised by his spiritual master and he said yes, and that he found it very valuable.

Later, Paramahamsa Maharaja asked Srila Prabhupada how he knows of the service of some less prominent devotee. He first said it is not Viashnava to desire to be prominent or known. Why should he want to be prominent? As Supersoul is in the heart of both disciples and Prabhupada, will Prabhupada not know? But know or not know, one should render service his whole life without being recognized (if it so happens). Anyabhilasita-sunyam. He also quoted Lord Caitanya's verse, Even if He makes Me broken-hearted, and, I have no desire. He should simply desire to follow the instructions, and it is inevitable he will be recognized. But we tend to do business, do a little service, and want to be praised by the spiritual master. That is material.

We know from the books what the spiritual master wants, and if we serve him accordingly, we will get all opulences, including fame. It is a wrong desire to want to be noticed by the spiritual master. The duty of the spiritual master is to chastise. It is inevitable if we serve that not only the spiritual master, but everyone, will take notice. Tripurari Dasa simply wanted to distribute books, not become prominent, but now everyone knows him. Krishna also wanted Arjuna to be famous. A devotee should think he is so insignificant that it is impossible he will ever be recognized. He thinks it is his function to serve and not to become famous. Srila Prabhupada said he came to U.S.A. not desiring to be famous, but as duty: he now has fame and fortune from Krishna, but he didn't want it. If we pour water on the root by devotional service, everything will take place. A devotee should not feel, I desire credit, but, I deserve to be beaten.