View source for How to become devotee. Adau gurvasrayam. One has to seek out a bona fide spiritual master. Just like Suta Gosvami has become disciple of a bona fide spiritual master, Sukadeva Gosvami

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[[Category:How to Become a Devotee of God]]
[[Category:One Has To]]
[[Category:Seeking a Spiritual Master]]
[[Category:Bona Fide Spiritual Master]]
[[Category:Just Like]]
[[Category:Suta Gosvami]]
[[Category:Becoming a Disciple]]
[[Category:Sukadeva Gosvami]]
[[Category:Pages Needing Audio - SHARMISTHA]]
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<h2>Lectures</h2>
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<h3>Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures</h3>
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For receiving God consciousness, we have to approach . . . Ādau gurvāśrayam. That is the . . . how to become devotee. Ādau gurvāśrayam. One has to seek out a bona fide spiritual master. Just like Sūta Gosvāmī has become disciple of a bona fide spiritual master, Śukadeva Gosvāmī, and he's describing the activities of his spiritual master, yaṁ pravrajantam.
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[[Vanisource:710810 - Lecture SB 01.02.02 - London|710810 - Lecture SB 01.02.02 - London]]
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Those who are demons, those who have developed this asuric bhāva . . . asuric bhāva means denying the existence of God. That is asuric bhāva. There are two kinds of men: asura and devatā. Those who are accepting the authority of the Supreme Lord, they are called devatā. And those who are denying the existence of God . . . now such demons are prevalent everywhere, especially the Communist. And others, they write, of course, on the note, "We Trust In God," but practically does not do anything. That is also another edition of demons: under the garb of believing in God, doing all nonsense. You see?

So na māṁ duṣkṛtino mūḍhāḥ prapadyante narādhamāḥ. Human life is meant for understanding what is God, what is my relationship with Him. And when he understands the relationship is there, "God is great, I am very small . . ." No. The rascal says: "No, I am God." And what . . . in which way you become God? God is great. Are you great? If I give you any slap, you immediately cry, and you're claiming God? You see? But these rascals are doing nicely, and fools are following, "Here is a God, incarnation of God." You see?

So God is not so cheap. God . . . our conception of God . . . just like Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa is so powerful. It is stated in the Vedic literature, yasyaika-niśvasita-kālam athāvalambya jīvanti loma-vilajā jagad-aṇḍa-nāthāḥ (Bs. 5.48). Simply by the breathing of Mahā-Viṣṇu, innumerable . . .

Just like we exhale and inhale, and so many small microbes, germs, are coming out and going. This is a fact, medical science. Similarly, as microbes are coming and going, similarly, with the breathing of Mahā-Viṣṇu so many universes are coming and going. That is God—God, who can create unlimited number of universes simply by breathing. That is God.

(aside) Don't sleep. You can . . .

So here, na māṁ duṣkṛtino mūḍhāḥ prapadyante narādhamāḥ ([[Vanisource:BG 7.15 (1972)|BG 7.15]]).

So for receiving God consciousness, we have to approach . . . Ādau gurvāśrayam. That is the . . . how to become devotee. Ādau gurvāśrayam. One has to seek out a bona fide spiritual master. Just like Sūta Gosvāmī has become disciple of a bona fide spiritual master, Śukadeva Gosvāmī, and he's describing the activities of his spiritual master, yaṁ pravrajantam.

Śukadeva Gosvāmī was liberated. He remained within the mother . . . within the womb of his mother for sixteen years, because he was conscious that, "As soon as I get out of the womb of my mother, I'll be immediately captured by māyā. So let me become little strong." (laughter) You see? So he remained sixteen years within the mother.

Just like Prahlāda Mahārāja: he learned all about God consciousness from the . . . within the womb of his mother. Nārada Muni was teaching Prahlāda Mahārāja's mother. Because she was pregnant and she was being taken away by Indra and others, Nārada Muni rescued her, and because her husband was defeated and he fled away . . . he underwent severe austerities, "How to defeat these demigods?" So Nārada Muni took compassion upon this lady, and he told, "My dear daughter, you come with me. You live with my . . . in my hermitage until your husband comes back."

So he was instructing daily. It is the business of saintly person, whoever comes to him, he would give him instruction about spiritual knowledge. So he was instructing Prahlāda Mahārāja's mother. But the mother, less-intelligent woman . . . but Prahlāda Mahārāja took all the instruction and became a perfect devotee.

He has admitted. When his friends inquired from him, "My dear Prahlāda, you are the son of a king, and you do not go outside your palace, and we are sent here in this school, teaching. Our teacher is the same. How you have learned all these nice things?" Then he said: "My dear friends, these nice things I learned from Nārada, the same spiritual master. You require spiritual master." He then described that, "The instruction was actually meant for my mother, but being woman, she has forgotten." (laughter) This is the qualification of . . . don't be sorry. (laughter)

But Kṛṣṇa says . . . Kṛṣṇa says, striyaḥ śūdrās tathā vaiśyās te 'pi yānti parāṁ gatim. By Kṛṣṇa's mercy, even if (s)he's woman, striya . . . woman is considered to be less intelligent, but Kṛṣṇa is so merciful that:

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:māṁ hi pārtha vyapāśritya
:ye 'pi syuḥ pāpa-yonayaḥ
:striyo śūdrā tathā vaiśyās
:te 'pi yānti parāṁ gatim 
:([[Vanisource:BG 9.32 (1972)|BG 9.32]])
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"It doesn't matter whether he is woman or śūdra or a vaiśya. If he takes shelter of My lotus feet, according to the regulative principle, te 'pi yānti parāṁ gatim, they also go back to home, back to Godhead."

Kiṁ punar brāhmaṇāḥ puṇyā bhaktā rājarṣayas tathā ([[Vanisource:BG 9.33 (1972)|BG 9.33]]). Then what to speak of the persons who are born in brahmin family and those who are devotee? They must go, provided he takes shelter of Kṛṣṇa. Even striyaḥ śūdrās tathā vaiśyāḥ, who are considered less intelligent or born in lower degrade species of life, still, they can go. And what to speak of the persons who have taken in high family, devoted family? They must go.
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