28. "There is no activity more auspicious than rendering service to śrī guru. Among all forms of worship, worship of the Supreme Lord is the greatest, yet service to śrī guru is even more exalted. Until one solidly understands this, one will be unable to take proper shelter of śrī guru, for the conception that “I am dependent upon him, and he is my exclusive shelter, guardian and protector” will not manifest."




madguruḥ śrī jagadguruḥ, mannāthaḥ śrī jagannāthaḥ!
My guru is the guru of the whole world, and my Lord is the Lord of the Universe.


One who is envious of my guru is in fact envious of the Supreme Lord and of every single person in this world. Until we have this perception, we cannot become true servants of the spiritual master, nor can we surrender at his lotus feet, or realize our insignificance, or engage in hari-kīrtana by becoming more humble than a blade of grass (tṛṇād api sunīca) and free from pride while honouring all others (amānī mānada).


There is no activity more auspicious than rendering service to śrī guru. Among all forms of worship, worship of the Supreme Lord is the greatest, yet service to śrī guru is even more exalted. Until one solidly understands this, one will be unable to take proper shelter of śrī guru, for the conception that “I am dependent upon him, and he is my exclusive shelter, guardian and protector” will not manifest.


Sarvasvaṁ gurave dadyāt – offer everything to guru. According to this statement from the revealed scriptures, if a person does not surrender everything unto the lotus feet of śrī guru, if he does not engage in serving śrī guru with love and affection by sacrificing everything he has, including his life-energy, his wealth, his intelligence, his words, his mind, his education and his body, then he cannot be freed from the clutches of dvitīya-abhiniveśa, (absorption in interests separate from service to the Supreme), he cannot be delivered from attachment to sense-gratification or this material world, and he cannot become selfless.


The material disease is the selfish desire for mundane happiness. Without engaging in serving śrī guru, I cannot be cured of this disease, nor can my fears, worries, miseries and delusions ever be dispelled. But by fully accepting shelter at the lotus feet of śrī guru I can become free from illusion, fear and grief. If I become a sincere seeker of his heartfelt blessings, then he will bestow all benedictions upon me without depriving me in any way.

- by Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura Prabhupāda

Translated by the Rays of The Harmonist team
from Śrīla Prabhupādera Upadeśāmṛta 
Questions re-numbered for this on-line presentation


Rays of The Harmonist On-line, Year-5, Issue 5 “Who is The Topmost Object of Service?” by Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura Prabhupāda, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License to ensure that it is always freely available.
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