# Guru-Kṛṣṇa Kṛpā *On receiving mercy through the spiritual master and Kṛṣṇa* --- ### Perfection Through Guru and Kṛṣṇa > In any birth, you'll get father, mother. That is not a very difficult thing. Without father and mother there is no birth. So to get father and mother is usual; it is not very difficult. But, *kṛṣṇa guru nahi mile bhaja hari ei:* in every birth, you cannot get Kṛṣṇa or you cannot get bona fide spiritual master. *Kṛṣṇa guru nahi mile bhaja hari ei. Guru-kṛṣṇa kṛpāya pāya bhakti-latā-bīja*. These are the statements of *Caitanya-caritāmṛta.* Those who have read *Caitanya-caritāmṛta,* they know it. So, perfection of human life is possible by the mercy of *guru* and Kṛṣṇa. And that mercy can be achieved in the human form of life, not in the life of cats and dogs. — [[spoken/1974/740302cc.may|Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Ādi-līlā 7.2, Māyāpur, March 2, 1974]] --- ### Don't Jump Over God > So try to receive Kṛṣṇa's grace through the disciplic succession, Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Then you will understand everything. *Yasya deve parā bhaktir yathā deve tathā gurau* [*ŚU* 6.23]. This is the process, Vedic process. One should have unflinching faith in God and spiritual master. Don't jump over God, crossing the spiritual master. Then it will be failure. You must go through. We are observing Vyāsa-pūjā ceremony, the birth anniversary of our Guru Mahārāja. Why? We cannot understand Kṛṣṇa without spiritual master. That is bogus. If anyone wants to understand Kṛṣṇa, jumping over the spiritual master, then immediately he becomes a bogus. Therefore Caitanya Mahāprabhu says, *guru-kṛṣṇa-kṛpāya pāya bhakti-latā-bīja.* That is Vedic injunction. *Tad viddhi praṇipātena paripraśnena sevayā.* Nobody can understand Kṛṣṇa without going through His most confidential servant. This is the meaning of this Vyāsa-pūjā. — [[spoken/1975/750302ba.atl|His Divine Grace Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Gosvāmī Prabhupāda's Appearance Day Lecture, Atlanta, March 2, 1975]] --- ### Surpass the Spiritual Master? > You cannot surpass. If you think that you have become very learned and very advanced, now you can avoid the spiritual master and you understand Kṛṣṇa, that is the bogus. That is the meaning of this Vyāsa-pūjā ceremony. We should always pray, *yasya prasādād bhagavat-prasādaḥ. Yasya prasādād:* only by the grace of spiritual master we can achieve the grace or mercy of Kṛṣṇa. This is the meaning of this Vyāsa-pūjā, offering obeisances by *paramparā* system. — [[spoken/1975/750302ba.atl|His Divine Grace Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Gosvāmī Prabhupāda's Appearance Day Lecture, Atlanta, March 2, 1975]] --- ### Understanding the Absolute Truth > Everything should be understood in truth. So our this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is trying to understand the Absolute Truth. So in another place Kṛṣṇa says, *janma karma me divyaṁ yo jānāti tattvataḥ.* Anyone who understands the Absolute Truth factually as He is, not by mental speculation, but by the *paramparā* system. So therefore, the author of *Caitanya-caritāmṛta* is beginning with *guru, pūrve gurv-ādi.*. Beginning is the *guru,* the spiritual master, because he is the representative of the *paramparā* system, disciplic succession. Therefore, whatever we do, we must first of all try to understand from *guru.* — [[spoken/1974/740303cc.may|Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Ādi-līlā 7.3, Māyāpur, March 3, 1974]] --- ### A Little Mercy > *Ciraṁ vicinvan,* speculating for millions of years, one cannot understand. *Athāpi te deva padāmbuja-dvaya-prasāda-leśānugṛhīta eva hi:* "One who has received a little mercy of the lotus feet of the Lord, he can understand the truth. Others, even speculating for millions of years, they cannot understand anything." The speculation business is useless in spiritual advance. It may help Darwin to come to the conclusion that man is born from monkey. Because he is from monkey, he thinks others also from monkey. He has admitted that whatever he has given, it is simply a speculation. He has admitted. And all others also speculating. — [[spoken/1975/750301mw.atl|Morning Walk, Atlanta, March 1, 1975]] --- *5 verified verbatim quotes from Śrīla Prabhupāda on guru-kṛṣṇa kṛpā*