(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 25 September 2013, Cape Town, South Africa)
Transcribed by Rukmini devi dasi
I had this dream and in this dream, my spiritual master had forgotten my name and he said, “What’s your name?”
Oh my God! What if he forgets our name because we haven’t conquered him? We should conquer the spiritual master. We should, somehow or other, understand what he really wants and we should do it. That is how it works.
Spiritual life is personal; it is not mechanical, not like getting a pin-up button (badge), “Do you have a guru?”
“Ya, I do!” Pull out your bead bag, “See, pin-up button.”
Okay, you have pin-up button guru, but that’s not all that it is. If we try our level best in this life to conquer our spiritual master then something magic is going to happen. These are the things that we need to develop – how to conquer our spiritual master? It is not so easy.
When I became a spiritual master myself then I started to think of one point. It is said that one must please the spiritual master. Ok, I’m a spiritual master now what is it? Should I be really pleased? Or should I just sort of act pleased when someone has come up to an acceptable level. Or must I be really pleased in the heart? Or is it, well you know, someone comes to sixteen rounds then I must just be pleased.
Well sometimes I am and sometimes, I’m not! I’m pleased, yes, but sometimes I’m not really pleased! What can I do because we are persons! Krsna is the same. Krsna is also such a person. It is not just that Krsna gives the mercy, all at the same time, to everyone. Some have to do a lot more sacrifice and then Krsna gives. Others, they do not do so much and they get the mercy because Krsna is pleased within the heart.
So ultimately, we should try to really please the spiritual master, to the point where he is pleased. And if you have a spiritual master that is hard to please then, too bad! (Laughter) Tough! What to do! Then it is like that.
It is not cheap. It is not automatic. It is not just about belonging to a group and getting approved by the temple president and getting the stamp. You get the beads and the name and everything is great – not exactly. You still have to conquer! We have to conquer our spiritual master!
