Chapter One

The Lotus Feet

of Sri Guru
The feet of Sri Guru are compared to a lotus,
but this lotus grows in the transcendental water
of bhakti-rasa, the mellow of bhakti. Such are
the lotus feet of Sri Guru. His lotus feet are
aprākta, not material, but transcendental. They
are bhakati-sadma, the abode of transcendental
bhakti-rasa as well as all mādhurī, beauty.
 Chapter One

The Lotus Feet

of Sri Guru
nama o viu-pādāya ka-prehāya bhū-tale
śrīmate bhaktivedānta-svāmin iti nāmine
namas te sarasvatī-deva-gaura-vāī-pracārie
nirviśea-śūnyavādi-pāścatya-deśa-tārie
Repeatedly we offer our prayers at the lotus feet of the guru,
who is the expert navigator that can ferry us across the dreadful
ocean of material existence. Unless one gets the causeless mercy
of guru and Gauranga one will never be able to cross over this
dreadful ocean and go to the other side, to our eternal home
beyond the material world, the abode of the Lord. Therefore
I offer prayers at the lotus feet of that guru, who is the expert
navigator to ferry me across this dreadful ocean and take me
to the abode of the Lord.
śrī-guru-caraa-padma, kevala-bhakati-sadma
bando mui sāvadhāna mate
jāhāra prasāde bhāi, e bhava toriyā jāi
ka-prāpti hoy jāhā ha’te
The lotus feet of the spiritual master are the abode of pure de-
votional service. I bow down to those lotus feet with great care
and attention. My dear brother, it is through the grace of the
spiritual master that we cross over this material existence and
obtain Krishna.
Only by the mercy of Sri Guru can one cross over this dreadful
ocean of material existence, develop ka-bhakti, and get Krishna.
This is the kpā, mercy, of Sri Guru. The lotus feet of Sri Guru are
the abode of pure bhakti, bhakati-sadma. I offer my prayers and
respectful obeisances there with utmost care, sāvadhāna mate.
One should understand what is śrī-guru-caraa-padma. The
The Lotus Feet of Sri Guru 15

words “śrī-guru“ are very significant. “Śrī” means śobhā, beauty;

sampadā, transcendental wealth, or asset; and śreha, the top-
most. “śrī-guru” means that guru who is endowed with śrī,
with prema-bhakti. The word ‘śrī’ is used because there is no
question of Sri Guru disappearing or not being manifest. It is
only applicable to a guru who is eternally manifest. Otherwise
such a word would not be used.
The Only Wealth
In this world, Sri Guru is the only beauty or asset, wealth. There
is nothing else. Caraa means feet. Śrī-guru-caraa-padma—the
feet of Sri Guru are compared to the lotus. This is also very
significant. Why are his feet compared to the lotus and not to
anything else? The lotus flower looks very nice and beautiful,
and it also provides very sweet honey, madhu. The bumblebee
collects honey from different flowers, but especially from the
lotus flower. So what sort of special quality is there in the honey
collected from the lotus flower that is not present in the honey
collected from other flowers? It is a special type of honey known
as padma-madhu. The disciple who is like a bumblebee, who is
very hungry and greedy for that honey, relishes it.
Mellow of Bhakti
Although the lotus flower grows out of the water, it is not
touched by it. One of the synonyms for water is rasa, mellow.
The feet of Sri Guru are compared to a lotus, but this lotus grows
in the transcendental water of bhakti-rasa, the mellow of bhakti.
Such are the lotus feet of Sri Guru. His lotus feet are aprākta, not
material, but transcendental. They are bhakati-sadma, the abode
of transcendental bhakti-rasa as well as all mādhurī, beauty. The
lotus looks beautiful to the eye and is very attractive to the heart.
Similarly, the shining lotus feet of Sri Guru are very beautiful
in the eyes of the disciple and very attractive to his heart. All
of the activities, form, qualities, and pastimes of Sri Guru are
very beautiful in the eyes of the sādhaka-bhakta. Through the
eye of meditation the sādhaka-bhakta sees the beautiful lotus feet
of Sri Guru. Upon seeing those lotus feet he feels a soothing
16 The Worship of Sri Guru

effect in his afflicted heart. His heart is afflicted with the three
tāpas, sufferings: ādhyātmika, sufferings arising from one’s own
mind and body; ādhidaivika, sufferings arising from nature; and
ādhibhautika, sufferings arising from other living entities. When
the disciple meditates on the beautiful lotus feet of Sri Guru he
feels a soothing effect and his affliction is cooled down. At the
same time he also smells the nice scent that is coming from the
lotus feet of Sri Guru, like the scent that comes from the lotus.
Cooling Shade
The bumblebee wanders everywhere, going to various types
of flowers. One type of flower is the ketakī flower. That flower is
found in India, but not in the West. The tree on which the ketakī
flower grows, like the rose plant, has thousands of thorns. The
ketakī flower has a nice scent, and a bumblebee that becomes
attracted by the scent from the ketakī flower goes there. But
because of the many thorns on the tree his wings become torn
and he feels so much pain and affliction. The bumblebee thinks,
“Where to go now? Can I get shelter in a place where there is
no pain and affliction? Where can I get peace?” After wander-
ing hither and thither, at last he comes to the lotus flower and
experiences the cooling, soothing effect there. He takes shelter
inside the lotus flower, sucks the sweet honey there, and thus
gets nourishment.
Similarly, the jīva who is wandering and wandering through
the innumerable universes and through the innumerable spe-
cies of life of this material world — brahmāa bhramite kona
bhāgyavān jīva* — gets only more and more suffering, misery,
and torture. There is no cooling effect in the material world,
which is like a blazing forest fire — sasāra-dāvānala. Nobody
starts the forest fire, but automatically by the rubbing of two
pieces of wood the whole forest is burned and the animals that
live in the forest are burned to ashes. They feel the burning
heat, which is very painful. Similarly, the conditioned souls
in this material world feel the burning sensation coming from
 *
Cc. madhya 19.151
The Lotus Feet of Sri Guru 17

the three tāpas: ādhyātmika, ādhibhautika, and ādhidaivika. After

wandering through innumerable universes and innumerable
species of life, at last the fortunate soul, bhāgyavān jīva, comes to
the lotus feet of Sri Guru and takes shelter in the cooling shade
there. As the bumblebee sucks honey from the lotus flower,
similarly, the guru-pāda-padma, the lotus feet of Sri Guru, allow
that jīva, who is compared to the bumblebee, to suck the nice
honey whereby he gets real nourishment and also premānanda,
loving happiness.
Special Type of Honey
Padma-madhu, the honey collected from the lotus flower, is a
special type of honey. The Āyurveda-śāstra says that it is a good
medicine for the eye. If someone has some eye disease due to
impurities in the eye the kaviraj, ayurvedic doctor, will advise
him to rub some padma-madhu in his eyes. Because of these im-
purities one cannot see clearly and feels pain. Applying some
padma-madhu on the eyes will clean out all the impurities and
then one will be able to see clearly. Similarly, the guru-pāda-
padma-madhu, the honey emanating from the lotus feet of Sri
Guru, is so sweet and nectarean that if a fortunate disciple gets
it and relishes it then the disciple’s eyes will be cleansed of the
material conception.
Eyes of Knowledge
o ajñāna-timirāndhasya
jñānāñjana-śalākayā
cakur unmīlita yena
tasmai śrī-gurave nama
I was born in the dense darkness of ignorance, blind, without
real vision. Sri Guru, by his causeless mercy, has opened my
eyes with the torchlight of knowledge.* 
For a person who has some painful eye disease, who cannot
see well, the kaviraj will advise him to apply some padma-madhu
by which the dti-śakti, the power to see clearly, will develop.
*
Gautamīya Tantra.
18 The Worship of Sri Guru

Then not only will he get nice eyesight but also he will be able
to see even very subtle things that he would otherwise never
have been able to see. Similarly, when one takes shelter at the
lotus feet of Sri Guru and gets the guru’s mercy, the guru allows
the surrendered disciple to taste that sweet honey emanating
from the guru’s lotus feet. That is the medicine whereby his
material eyes will be cleansed of all material contamination. He
develops transcendental vision. He may have been blinded by
the dense darkness of ignorance, ajñāna-andhakāra, but that will
all be gone now. The darkness is dispelled and he receives the
eyes of knowledge—divya-jñāna-caku. Sri Guru imparts tattva-
jñāna, and by his mercy the disciple develops transcendental
vision. With that vision he will be able to see the beautiful form
of the Supreme Lord, Syamasundar. This is the honey, or madhu,
emanating from the lotus feet of Sri Guru; it acts in such a won-
derful way. Therefore the phrase, ‘śrī-guru-caraa-padma’ is very
significant — the lotus feet of Sri Guru are compared to a lotus.
Why is this comparison made and how to explain it?
Wonderful Characteristic
Padma-madhu cures eye disease and clears out all the impu-
rities from the eye, but it cannot clear the impurities from the
heart. However, the honey emanating from the lotus feet of Sri
Guru, guru-pāda-padma-madhu, has such a special and wonderful
characteristic that it cures both the eye and the heart. Sri-guru-
caraa-padma-madhu cleanses and purifies the heart so that it will
become a suitable place for Govinda, Krishna, to reside.
tomāra hdoye sadā govinda-viśrām
govinda kohena—mora vaiava parā* 
Narottam Das Thakur sings, “O vaiava-hākura! Govinda,
Krishna, resides in your heart, which is like Vrindavan, the
eternal abode of Govinda. He stays there very blissfully and
peacefully. He never leaves your heart.” The guru makes the
heart of his surrendered disciple a suitable place for Krishna

*
Vaiave Vijñapti from Prārthanā.
The Lotus Feet of Sri Guru 19

to reside. By giving the disciple shelter at his lotus feet and al-
lowing him to suck that special type of honey, which has that
wonderful characteristic, the heart of the surrendered disciple
is cleansed.
Wandering Hopelessly
The conditioned souls are like a diseased person suffering
from various kinds of material ills—bhava-rogī. Their disease
is very chronic. They have already taken many medicines —
allopathic, homeopathic, and ayurvedic — but the disease
is still not cured. The disease is incurable and has become
chronic. They have already lost their vitality, jīvana-śakti, and
cannot digest any food. They have taken so many medicines
and that has also produced a bad effect. These days you
will find so many strong drugs, but what is their effect?
They simply result in chronic incurable disease. People lose
their vitality and they cannot even eat anything because
their digestive fire is very low. How can they survive? They
are dying. They cannot eat or digest anything. The kaviraj
will advise, “You should only eat one thing — madhu. And
especially padma-madhu, the special type of honey from the
lotus flower.” He prescribes padma-madhu whereby they will
regain their vitality. This honey will give them life. Any other
type of food cannot be given, only padma-madhu is advised.
Then they can regain their vitality. Such jīvas, wandering
through innumerable universes and experiencing the miser-
ies of innumerable species of life, have become completely
hopeless. They are only getting suffering, so many material
ills—bhava-roga. If such persons are fortunate, they will come
to the lotus feet of Sri Guru. That guru is like a physician,
sādhu-vaidya. He knows the perfect and unfailing medicine
to cure the material disease, bhava-roga. He knows the cause
of the jīva’s suffering. There is only one medicine, the honey
emanating from the lotus feet of Sri Guru — guru-pāda-padma-
madhu. So, as the lotus allows the bumblebee whose wings
are torn by the thorns of the ketakī flower to take shelter
inside the flower, similarly, the guru allows the disciple to
20 The Worship of Sri Guru

take shelter at his lotus feet. The guru-pāda-padma, the lotus

feet of Sri Guru, gives such hopeless wandering souls shelter
and allows them to suck honey, whereby they regain their
vitality. The suffering jīva gets nourishment and life there.
That is why we say, ‘śrī-guru-caraa-padma.’ The lotus feet of
Sri Guru are compared to a lotus, and not to anything else.
This phrase has great significance.
Transcendental Nature
sākād-dharitvena samasta-śāstrair
uktas tathā bhāvyata eva sadbhi
kintu prabhor ya priya eva tasya
vande guro śrī-caraāravindam

The spiritual master is honored as much as the Supreme

Lord because he is the most confidential servitor of the
Lord. This is acknowledged in all revealed scriptures and is
followed by all authorities. Therefore I offer my respectful
obeisances unto the lotus feet of my spiritual master, who
is a bona fide representative of Sri Hari.* 
Sri Guru is sākād-dharitvena, he is as good as Lord
Hari. He does not belong to this material world. He be-
longs to the spiritual world, Krishna’s world. He comes
down here out of his causeless mercy, either voluntarily
to deliver the fallen souls or when the Lord sends him.
Whether he comes here voluntarily or by the will of the
Lord, that guru-pāda-padma descends here to shower his
mercy on the suffering conditioned souls who have been
drowning in the dreadful ocean of materialistic existence
since time immemorial. That guru-pāda-padma descends
and stays here in the material world. Someone may raise
the question, “This material world is illusory, māyika jagat.
The three modes of material nature are here, sattva, raja and
tama—goodness, passion, and ignorance. If the guru comes
and stays in this material world, will he not be affected by

*
Srila Viswanath Chakravarti Thakur, Gurv-aaka, verse 7
The Lotus Feet of Sri Guru 21

those three modes? How can his transcendental nature re-

main unaffected in this dreadful ocean of material existence?
How does he act here? This is very easy to understand from
the example of the lotus flower. The lotus flower lives in the
water, but it is not affected. It remains untouched. Similarly,
although Sri Guru comes here to this material world, he re-
mains untouched. He is never affected by the three modes of
material nature. Therefore the feet of Sri Guru are compared
to a lotus. The bumblebee that comes to the lotus that is in
the water and takes shelter inside that lotus is also untouched
by the water. Similarly, the fortunate soul who has taken
shelter at the lotus feet of Sri Guru will never be afraid of
this material world. Just as the lotus gives shelter to the
bumblebee and protects him from being touched by the
water, so the disciple who takes shelter at the lotus feet of
Sri Guru will not be affected by the material nature. This
is the lotus feet of Sri Guru.
Intense Desire
Another point is there. When the sun rises the lotus
blossoms, and when the sun sets the petals of the lotus
close. Similarly, the petals of the guru-pāda-padma will open
when it sees the intense desire and crying in the heart of
the suffering soul to go back to Godhead and get Krishna.
This crying for bhakti is like the rising of the sun.
When the sun sets the petals of the lotus close. Similarly, a
disciple who has developed an intense and burning desire in
his heart has come to the guru and received shelter. But many
times we see that later on that disciple loses his bhakti-vtti,
his devotional engagement. Because of committing some
offense like nāma-aparādha or vaiava-aparādha he loses
his bhakti-vtti. His bhakti becomes shrunken and he does
not carry out the orders of the guru or hear the guru’s
message. He is avoiding or disobeying his guru. When the
sun sets, the petals of the lotus close. Similarly, the guru
disappears from the vision of that disciple.
This chapter is continued in The Worship of Sri Guru
www.gopaljiu.org