Guru Disciple Relationship: Submission to Guru and Krishna

Q. Can somebody act like a guru without actually initiating somebody. In the sense I accept somebody as my guru and follow his instructions. And when I am able to fully follow all his instructions take initiation?

Q. My question is very simple, yet very much related to my progress in devotional service. Everyday I get up at 4 a.m., chant my rounds and hear lecture. But in the day time I cannot resist my tendency to sleep. Every time I make a commitment but fail. How can I avoid sleeping in the day time?

Q. Is it possible in Krishna Consciousness to cross all the stages of anartha nivritti in one life time and become a pure devotee? Can our efforts, along with Krishna's mercy, help us achieve pure transcendental love of Krishna in this life time itself?

Q. I am trying to be more conscious about my daily activities and thoughts so that they are centered on Krishna, but it is not easy. I find myself thinking or daydreaming about how I can enjoy separate from Krishna. When I bring my thoughts back to Krishna my mind feels so much clearer. How can I keep my thoughts on the right track?

I really want to clean out my mind. I feel like there is so much garbage cluttered there from the past few years. Sometimes it is really overwhelming. I want to focus on Krishna and not on sense gratification but that desire sense gratification keeps creeping back! Please describe a practical way that I can control my mind and be a better devotee.

Q. Can you also please describe more on how to depend on Krishna? I will be very happy to take shelter of your instruction on this.

In Digest 127 it was already discussed how one can depend on Krishna and remain undisturbed in case of unexpected reversals and difficulties in life.

Q. How would you explain the concept of "isavasya" given in Isopanisad?

I am not sure if you have some specific angle or point of clarification on this. The basic idea of 'isavasya' is to recognize the Lord's proprietorship over everything, since everything in the universe including all spirit souls (us!) are emanations from Him, and therefore conducting our life accordingly.

Q. Prabhupada had undergone so many troubles in his life; still he continued his preaching in his life even after having so many temples to manage. That was his success. But when we are trying to follow his teachings in our life, why are we not able follow it perfectly?

Sometimes we say Maya is so strong. What will happen to us? When we are sick, it is so difficult to even complete 16 rounds. Why does this happen to us?

Q. If we have a spiritual master, is it wrong to pray to the Lord directly?

Q. During one of our recent discussions in our study group there was a discussion on siddha svarup.

One of the devotees said that the spiritual master would reveal one's svarup at some point of time when such a disciple has reached such a stage. My humble opinion is that such a practice is not there in ISKCON and as and when a devotee reaches such a stage of advancement it will be known to him naturally.

Can I humbly request you to kindly clarify this?

Q. Let us assume hypothetically that someone accepts the Bhagavad Gita of Srila Prabhupada, and decides to follow and accept that Krishna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Then he realizes his inability to choose a guru who is a pure devotee. If he then resorts to simply following Prabhupada, but accepting that he is not a diksha disciple of Prabhupada but a siksha disciple, can he go back to Godhead by following the instructions of Prabhupada and chanting?