Transcendental Nectar of Sadhu-Sanga

by

Sripad Bhakti Madhava Puri Maharaja, Ph.D.

Bhaktivedanta Institute

tad vijnanartham sa guru evabhiggachet
samit panih srotriyam brahma nistam

This verse from the Mundaka Upanisad (1.2.21) is part of the Atharva veda. It explains the process for acquiring scientific knowledge of reality (tad vijnanartham). One must (the word eva gives emphasis to must) approach the spiritual master (guru). Here the words "sa guru" means "the guru," not "a guru." There is only one guru. Any cheater can claim to be guru for those who want to be cheated. But the genuine guru is one who presents the absolute truth as revealed through the proper preceptorial lineage of gurus that originate with the Supreme Personality of Godhead, when He revealed this knowledge to Lord Brahma before the creation of the universe.

The qualification of the student is that he must be ready to sacrifice (samit panih) his entire misconceived consciousness of material life, and be born again in the proper consciousness/conception that is revealed by gurudeva. Thus it is of utmost importance to approach the properly qualified guru. And what are qualifications by which the authentic guru can be identified. It is explained here that he must be one who has properly received/heard (srotriyam) knowledge from guru in the authentic parampara line of preceptors. And that he must be realized/fixed (nistam) in the plane of personal brahman (spirit) transcendental to the material world.

In this way, one must faithfully accept being directed by gurudeva in order to become a devotee of the Lord. Then the knowledge of the Vedas will be revealed. When the Vedic knowledge is revealed, one need no longer live in the darkness of material ignorance.

We hope that 2010 will be the year of scientific integrity when scientists accept the directly verifiable theory of biogenesis, that Life comes from Life, and reject the illusory Darwinian theory of evolution of life from matter. Throughout the 150 years of Darwin's theory there has never been any direct scientific observation of any major phylogenetic evolution. Despite the consistent lacunae in the geological record, the intricate genetic complexity of even the simplest cells, and rigorous mathematical and philosophical arguments against it, we believe that Darwin's theory can only have survived for so long because of a stubborn ideological prejudice that serves an atheistic, materialist agenda, or for lack of genuine spiritual knowledge and the process for acquiring it.

We wish to present and develop the Vedantic/Bhagavat conception that life and matter come from life as a scientifically valid explanation of spiritual reality. We hope that in the coming decade the scientific community will enthusiastically accept, participate in and contribute to this endeavor for the benefit of humanity, the environment, and the glory of God. OM TAT SAT