(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 18 February 2013, Leicester, England, Initiation lecture, Bhagavad-gita 4.37)
The relationship between guru and disciple is not one of just master and servant because there is also firm friendship. It is important that we understand that here is my friend and well-wisher, and we are doing it together. We are doing it together!
So it is like that. One must carry on spiritual life together with the spiritual master and confide in the spiritual master. There are people whom you ask, “How are you?”
“Fine, fine, everything’s fine!”
And one month later, they’ve disappeared off the map, you know!
So there must be friendship! There was one disciple of Srila Prabhupada from the very very early days, like 1966. He was one of the first disciples when Prabhupada went to New York. And as years went by, he was not always so strict in following everything.
Some years ago, he was in Vrndavan. It was the disappearance day celebration of Srila Prabhupada and he was standing on the stage wearing blue jeans, a black t-shirt and tiger-skin vest. He had sort of ‘punkish’ hair and he said, “Yes, I’m here and I know that there are some out there who would rather not see me here but I’m not going. I’m not going anywhere. And the reason why I am not going anywhere, why I will not leave, is because of three words that Prabhupada wrote to me. Because of these three words, I will never leave.”
And those three words are your ever well-wisher!
And it is like that. The spiritual master is our ever well-wisher. That means that there is nothing we can do that can spoil that relationship.
