Many people do not understand what the term disciplic succession means or why it is so important. It refers to an unbroken chain of teachers who have carefully handed down the Science of Self Realization as it was revealed at the dawn of this universe from an absolute authority on the subject.
The Sanskrit word “Sampradaya” means a particular tradition, school, linage or, in this case, a specific disciplic succession. In our universe, there are only four legitimate paths recognized by the sages that originated with the Supreme Absolute Truth. They are: 1) Brahma-sampradaya, which descends down from Lord Brahma, 2) The Rudra or Visnu Svami sampradaya which descends from Lord Shiva, 3) The Sri-sampradaya which descended from the goddess of fortune, Laksmi, and: 4) The Kumara-or Nimbarka sampradaya which descended from Sanat-kumara. All of the four original sampradayas are still scrupulously engaged in the transcendental service of the Lord, and they all declare that Lord Krishna, Mukunda, is the Supreme Personality of Godhead with no personality equal to Him or greater than Him.
The American Vedic Association comes in the line the Brahma Sampradaya which was handed down though Madhva Acarya. In this Madhva Acarya disciplic succession, came Isvara Puri who was accepted as the Spiritual Master of Lord Caitanya. Lord Caitanya taught the worship of Vishnu in the form of Lord Krishna, therefore devotees are properly referred to as Vaishnavas, (one who worships Vishnu). Because Lord Caitanya appeared in Bengal, which is known as Gaudadesa, our Sampradaya is properly distinguished as the: Bhahma/Madvah/Gaudia/Vaishnava Sampradaya. That specific lineage represents our complete path right back to the instructions of Lord Krishna via Lord Brahma.
More recently in universal affairs, Lord Krishna tells us that the first time he condensed Vedic knowledge into the format of the Bhagavad Gita was for the Sun God, Vivasvan, at the dawn of this millennium approximately 120,400,000 years ago. (The estimated time calculations given here are based on what we the Vedas tell us about cycles of the Universe and the given durations of Visvasvan’s and Iksvaku’s life.) From then on, the science of the soul was handed down successfully from one generation to the next for approximately 118,400,000 years:
“The Personality of Godhead, Lord Sri Krishna, said: I instructed this imperishable science of yoga to the sun-god, Vivasvan, and Vivasvan instructed it to Manu, the father of mankind, and Manu in turn instructed it to Iksvaku. “This supreme science was thus received through the chain of disciplic succession, and the saintly kings understood it in that way.” – Bhagavad Gita As It Is, Chapter Four: “Transcendental Knowledge” Text 1& 2.
We also learn that approximately 2,000,000 years ago the disciplic succession was broken:
“But in course of time the succession was broken, and therefore the science as it is appears to be lost.” – Bhagavad Gita as It Is, Chapter Four: “Transcendental Knowledge” Text 2.
So in order to preserve the Gita Sampradaya Krishna re-restarted it only 5,000 years ago to his dear friend Arjuna because he was His devotee as well as his friend and “…a soul surrendered unto( him)” (Bg. 2.7):
“That very ancient science of the relationship with the Supreme is today told by Me to you because you are My devotee as well as My friend and can therefore understand the transcendental mystery of this science.” – Bhagavad Gita As It Is, Chapter Four: “Transcendental Knowledge” Text 3.
Without the process of disciplic succession mankind is helpless. All attempts we make to comprehend the absolute truth on our own becomes grossly tinged by lust, anger, greed, imperfect senses, the propensity to cheat, delusions, pride, human flaws, and mundane mental speculation! Anyone perceptive enough to honestly consider the true nature of our human condition must admit that we are simply not equipped well enough to independently figure out conclusively what the purpose of life is! Even a gambling man can understand how the odds of succeeding in such a monumental task are stacked very heavily against us!
When one understands the importance of disciplic succession it radically changes the way they evaluate and eventually select a potential teacher. Many so-called contemporary spiritual teachers will buttress their sermons/dialogues/satsanga’s with references from William Shakespeare, the Dalai Lama, the Bible, philosophers, or prominent figures from India’s history, but that is not equivalent to, or an alternative for, a spiritual education available from one who has been trained in the stream of disciplic succession. It may appear similar because when an orator cites a respectable source it tends to supports the credibility of what they teach. But regardless of how valid contemporary sources may initially appear to be to the uninformed, none of those tertiary references can ever be as effective or complete as the original source of all knowledge handed down directly from one of the Sampradaya’s listed above!
Witch-Doctor Gurus
It is obvious why unauthorized spiritual charlatans without the disciplic succession pedigree do not want others to learn about it. Their credibility is dependent on the general public remaining ignorant about this essential point just like the careers of primitive voodoo-doctors continue to wane as poorly educated superstitious villagers learn to appreciate the more effective methods of modern medical science. Without such knowledge, witch-doctors could conjure up whatever bizarre ritual they wanted to without reprieve and get away with it just like many so called “Enlightened Masters” continue to fool the spiritually illiterate everyday. The magic spells of the witch-doctor gurus consist of all sorts of nonsense carried out in the name of: re-visioning, shamanism, soul awakening, quantum energy therapy, stopping desires, transcending the ego, or discovering you are God using equally misleading and useless techniques such as channeling, charka balancing, neutralizing karma, aura tuning, guided hypnosis and the most insidious deception of all: Silent Meditation. What’s particularly alarming about all this is that while both the teachers and the students of these hodge-podge metaphysics sincerely believe they are contributing such a valuable service to humanity, one of the most respected authorities on Vedic sciences clearly indicates otherwise:
“Devotional service of the Lord that ignores the authorized Vedic literatures like the Upanisads, Puranas and Narada-pancaratra is simply an unnecessary disturbance in society.” – Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu c/o Srila Rupa Gosvami 1.2.101
Authorized spiritual teachers are therefore careful not to concoct new methods for enlightenment and they don’t rely on the techniques found in best selling self-help books, the advice of new age priests, or what the latest currently fashionable guru says no matter how many times they claim to be teaching “The Truth.” A bona-fide guru is extremely careful about making sure that whatever they teach is consistent with what Lord Krishna taught Lord Brahma. Their work stands out from the antidotal stories and pedantic posturing of so called “Advanced Souls” because they go to great trouble to illustrate how everything they teach is consistent with the undisputable Vedic conclusion. They do that by referencing extraordinary philosophical scriptures such as: The Bhrahma Samhita, the Puranas, the Upanishads, or the Ihasasas, which includes the Ramayana the Mahabharata, within which is found the concluding pinnacle of all Vedic teachings; The Bhagavad Gita, and the related commentaries by exalted Vaishnavaa Acaryas.
“The seriously inquisitive student or sage, well equipped with knowledge and detachment, realizes that Absolute Truth by rendering devotional service in terms of what he has heard from the Vedanta-sruti” – Srimad Bhagavat Purana Canto 1. “Creation” Chapter 2. “Divinity & Divine Service” Text 12
Real spiritual masters do magically awaken one day and realize their own divinity. Nor do they come up with a new way to become enlightened, channel the realizations of a dead prophet or purchase their halo at Wall-mart! They do not engage in flattery to attract followers, nor do they rely on belittling the doubts of the skeptical to obfuscate their own inability to answer legitimate questions about the science of self-realization.
A real guru has been properly trained from a qualified representative in a certified Sampradaya and they are strictly bound by the principal of disciplic succession to deliver the same unadulterated message they received, to those few individuals who are finally ready to surrender to the authority of the Supreme Personality of Godhead Lord Sri Krishna:
“Out of many thousands among men, one may endeavor for perfection, and of those who have achieved perfection, hardly one knows Me in truth.” – Bhagavad Gita As It Is, Chapter 7, “Knowledge Of the Absolute Truth” Text 3.
Many Are Called but Few Are Chosen
Stepping into the stream of disciplic succession is therefore not a whimsical matter, which is why many are called, but few are chosen. (Matthew 22:14- Bible) Those who are enamored by their own over inflated sense of personal competence are diverted by God’s illusionary potency to the misleading teaching of self-made unauthorized charlatan gurus. By divine arrangement non-discretionary students are automatically attracted to deceitful gurus which result in what is has come to be known as a text book example of: “The Cheaters and the Cheated.”
Those individuals who have the spiritual temerity to avoid this last snare of Maya, (illusion) quickly learn how transforming it can be to have association with anything related to Krishna – what to speak of to have access to his personal instructions! They personally experience how even a little exposure to this body of knowledge has the potency to fully revive the lost relationship between the individual soul and the Supreme Personality of Godhead that lies latent within each one of us. This awakening manifests as a desire to engage in unmotivated and uninterrupted devotional service to the Supreme Lord. Devotional service is the only process endorsed by the sages and recommended in the Vedas for escaping the otherwise pervasive entangling influence of gross material nature.
“By thus engaging in devotional service to the Lord, great sages or devotees free themselves from the results of work in the material world. In this way they become free from the cycle of birth and death and attain the state beyond all miseries [by going back to Godhead]. -Bhagavad Gita As It Is, Chapter 2 “Contents of the Gita Summarized”, Text 51.
The process of devotional service is so powerful that it not only relieves us from the consequences of both the good and bad karma we inherit at the end of this earthly life, but it is also the source by which we will acquire new talents for carrying out our devotional service as well!
“To those who are constantly devoted to serving Me with love, I give the understanding by which they can come to Me. – Bhagavad Gita As It Is, Chapter 10 “Opulence of the Absolute” Text 1.
Finally Krishna also points out that for those who devote themselves to loving Him, He personally handles the big stuff and preserves the talents we have accumulated!
“But those who always worship Me with exclusive devotion, meditating on My transcendental form — to them I carry what they lack, and I preserve what they have. ” – Bhagavad Gita as It Is, Chapter 9 “The Most Confidential Knowledge” Text 22.
Individuals who believe that there is nothing to be done, no deity to respect, no God to love, and that the culmination of life is to simply merge blindly into the essence of “The Now” actually have no relationship with God and in that way are no better then atheists. Consequently they are relegated to Krishna’s inferior nature where they will remain trapped in the clutches of the three modes of nature. Eventually they become so thoroughly exhausted with the endless cycle of birth and death, which they finally mature enough to surrender to what Krishna’s said. That is when their relationship with God actually begins even thought Krishna’s advice is always free, flawless, and readily available via one of the legitimate “Sampradayas.” (Disciplic successions).
“After many births and deaths, he who is actually in knowledge surrenders unto Me, knowing Me to be the cause of all causes and all that is. Such a great soul is very rare.” – Bhagavad Gita As It Is, Chapter 7 “Knowledge of the Absolute” Text 19.
Although there is not an abundance of Sampradaya certified guru’s teaching the Science of Self-realization originally taught by Lord Krishna, there are several. His Divine Grace A.C.Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada was such a teacher and the foremost leading authority of Bhakti Yoga to have come to the Western world during the 20th century is evident by the respect scholars have for the volumes of books he authored on the subject.
The American Vedic Association follows in the footsteps of His Divine Grace which means all those who get these messages and attend our bi-monthly Bhagavad Gita Fellowship discussions are being properly trained in the Bhahma/Madvah/Gaudia/Vaishnava Sampradaya. Some of the other prominent acaryas in our historical lineage starting with Krishna Himself is as follows:
- Krishna 2. Brahma 3. Narada 4. Vyasa 5. Madhva 6. Padmanabha 7. Nrhari 8. Madhava 9. Aksobhya 10. Jaya Tirtha 11. Jnanasindhu 12. Dayanidhi 13. Vidyanidhi 14. Rajendra 15. Jayadharma 16. Purusottama 17. Brahmanya Tirtha 18. Vyasa Tirtha 19. Laksmipati 20. Madhavendra Puri 21. Isvara Puri, (Nityananda, Advaita) 22. Lord Caitanya 23. Rupa, (Svarupa, Sanatana) 24. Raghunatha, Jiva 25. Krsnadasa 26. Narottama 27. Visvanatha 28. (Baladeva) Jagannatha 29. Bhaktivinoda 30. Gaurakisora 31. Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati 32.Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Symptoms of Real Spiritual Ecstasy
Unfortunately there are also a lot of contemporary “Here and Now” mystical Voodoo Guru’s who teach all sorts of variations on popular subjects of interest such as enlightenment, merging into the self, stopping the mind, Tantra, focusing on the third eye, raising charkas, transcendence, or releasing the Kundalini etc. They are entrenched in exploiting the uniformed my misrepresenting the deep metaphysical concepts recorded in the Vedas, originated taught by Lord Krishna, with their own misleading ,pithy clichés like “We are One,” “Love What Is”, “Be Here Now,” “Stay In Inquiry”, “God is Love” “You are That”, “It’s All True”, “Seek the Observer” etc.
The reason why charismatic Guru’s will sometimes attract large audiences is because they do somehow magically land on their feet and get some aspect of what Krishna taught correctly. When they do, that will indeed appeal to either the heart or the intelligence of the individual because it just happens to concur with some part of what Krishna provided in his comprehensive treatise about life, the Vedic Literatures. However; because piece-meal gurus only have partial knowledge about the nature of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, they will never fully satisfy the soul of a perceptive transcendentalist. That is why it is just a matter of time before the more-intelligent followers of guru-impersonators soon become disillusioned and eventually rejects them as is often observed.
Only those who have the proper credentials for teaching what Krishna taught Lord Brahma, millions of years ago, at the dawn of this creation, can truly quell the restless mind and fill the empty heart. This has been repeatedly confirmed by the observable symptoms found in a long line of Vaishnava acaryas and beautifully summarized by Krishna Dasa Kaviraja in the Caitanya Caitamrita:
“Perspiration, trembling, standing on end of one’s bodily hairs, tears, faltering voice, fading complexion, madness, melancholy, patience, pride, joy and humility — these are various natural symptoms of ecstatic love of Godhead, which causes a devotee to dance and float in an ocean of transcendental bliss while chanting the Hare Krishna mantra.” – Sri Caitanya Caritamrita, Adi Lila Chapter7 “Lord Caitanya in Five Features” Text 89-90.
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