“I really can’t make up my mind. I need to get a new phone. At least I think I do. I have one right now that is issued by my employer. It works fine. The service is good. Everything is paid for. I don’t have to worry about going over the allotted monthly data usage; not that I hog up that much data. I checked the usage stats recently, and in the few years I’ve had that phone I’ve used about two months worth of data allotted to the standard monthly plans. I don’t talk much on there either; though the voice quality is very good.
“Recently a defect arose in the phone. Therefore for some vital functions now, I have to use a menu on the touchscreen. The physical button that is supposed to perform these functions no longer works. Apparently this has happened to a lot of people with the same phone. I asked my employer to see what they could do, and they said I could get the same phone as a free replacement. The problem is the manufacturer no longer makes the same version of the phone. The free replacement would be a downgrade. This doesn’t seem right to me. Why can’t I get an upgrade? What will happen when the same defect occurs in the future?
“I could purchase a tablet computer. That is one option. Of course I already have one, but it is certainly outdated by now. The newer models are smaller in size. I can also get a relatively inexpensive data plan with that. With this option, I can continue to use my work phone and then carry around the tablet to do my reading. The tablet is too big to fit in a pocket, though, so I will have to make sure to take it with me in my hand. I will have to make sure not to leave it behind anywhere.
In a scenario such as this, the individual thinks that their problem is more important than it really is. That such an issue would weigh down a person’s mind seems silly to most, but the individual here is completely focused on their problem. They can’t go outside of themselves to realize that what they think to be heavy is actually very light. On the occasion of Vyasa Puja, we celebrate the person who tackles the actual heavy issues in life. Since he addresses and solves these issues without fail, he is known as the guru. His weight in knowledge, composure, and strength of conviction in the right activity is then passed on to the disciples, those who learn through service to him.
Life and death - you can’t get much heavier than that. The bona fide guru knows that life exists forever. It never came into being, and so it can never be destroyed. Death seems to say otherwise. It tells us that whoever you are, you will eventually leave. Everything that you have will be destroyed as well. That cherished automobile that sits in your garage – one day that will be gone. When you leave, you won’t be able to take it with you. You won’t be able to bring your friends and family along, either. What you can and will bring is your consciousness.
That consciousness accompanied you into this life. The “life” here thus means the present manifestation of your spirit soul combined with a collection of matter. “Life” is a basic measurement of time, for your existence will continue infinitely into the future. Just as we don’t lose our identity from minute to minute, day to day, or year to year, we don’t change when death occurs. If there is a change at all, it is merely external, like a changing of clothes.
Birth and death are much more important issues than which smartphone to get. They are more important than figuring out how to drive a car, fix a software bug, or prepare dinner tonight. Birth and death are the most important issues for the individual in their present state. Since the guru is intimately familiar with the nature of birth and death, his knowledge is most important. His words thus deal with the heaviest issues.
The guru knows that birth in the present land takes place due to forgetfulness of God. God is defined as the Supreme Spirit, the chief living entity maintaining all other living entities. His body and spirit are the same; that is His unique feature. His spiritual form never decays. He does not enter into it and then leave it at some point. His consciousness is the same in quality as His hand and His leg. For us this is not the case, and so we are always inferior to the Supreme Lord.
“It is a false claim that after the annihilation of this body everything is finished. The individual soul is transmigrating from one body to another, and his present body and present activities are the background of his next body. One gets a different body according to karma, and he has to quit this body in due course.” (Shrila Prabhupada, Bhagavad-gita, 15.8 Purport)
The guru takes care of these issues. He says that if you are devoted to God, you will go to Him. The guru does not make this up. This isn’t a pipe dream, a shot in the dark hope for a better life. The guru believes in what he says because he lives it. He lives with God all the time, though he may not be physically in the company of the Supreme Lord. The consciousness is what is linked to the Supreme. That is real yoga, something the guru never breaks out of. If you are always connected, nobody can do anything to break you away from God. As such, how will your association not be beneficial to all?
The guru plays no favorites; they hope that everyone becomes God conscious and thus makes their life fruitful. His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada was known as the “ever well-wisher.” Through his presence, which extends to his books and recorded lectures, he wishes well for everyone. He begs all to chant the holy names of the Lord, “Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare,” so that they too can become heavy in their fight against the illusory material nature, which tricks the mind into assigning the wrong priority to matters of trivial importance. On the occasion of Vyasa Puja, we honor Shrila Prabhupada and his attempt to rescue countless souls, work which continues to pay dividends to this day.
In Closing:
How a cell phone solution to find,
This issue weighs heavily on mind.
Of anything else cannot think,
Into pool of uncertainty to sink.
Since perpetually in yoga state,
Spiritual master of heaviest weight.
His association all others to surpass,
His strength to disciples kindly to pass.
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