Guru Tattva Prakāśikā – Questions and Answers on the Guru Principle

Guru-tattva (the guru principle) is undoubtedly the most important concept within Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava siddhānta. Our relationship with Śrī Guru is the very keystone on which our connection to Kṛṣṇa lies. Thus it is no wonder that it is mired in so much controversy and confusion at present.

When I first heard the talks of our Guru Mahārāja, Śrīla Bhakti Gaurava Narasiṅgha Mahārāja concerning this subject matter, it was as if somebody had woken me up from a deep slumber. All my misconceptions concerning guru-tattva were immediately removed and I began to understand that the status of the spiritual master is far beyond any institutional considerations. It was evident that our Guru Mahārāja had churned the ocean of devotional knowledge that he had imbibed from his Guardians, Śrīla A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, Śrīla Śrīdhara Deva Gosvāmī and Śrīla Bhakti Pramoda Purī Gosvāmi, and was presenting the essence of that to all of us.

In 2015 I was given a Bengali book called Śrīla Prabhupādera Upadeśāṁṛṭa compiled by Śrīmad Bhakti Mayukha Bhāgavata Mahārāja, which was a series of questions and answers on many subjects drawn from the articles and lectures of Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura. Inspired by this, I decided to compile a similar book based upon our Guru Mahārāja’s articles covering guru-tattva, gaura-tattva, nāma-tattva, śakti-tattva etc. Although I began gathering material at that time, the project was postponed due to other service commitments.

In November 2019 I received one of my last instructions from our Guru Mahārāja which was to study everything our previous ācāryas had written concerning guru-tattva. Meditating upon this directive, I was eventually motivated to revisit the questions and answers book that I had previously started in 2015, thus I began to enthusiastically collect material from his many talks, room conversations, articles and letters spanning a thirty year period. However, I soon realised that a book containing so many questions and answers on so many diverse themes would be too voluminous. Thus, it was that I concentrated upon the foundational topic of guru-tattva.

This book is by no means exhaustive, but we have tried to cover some of the most important points concerning the guru principle. In editing this work, we have endeavoured to retain the mood of Śrīla Narasiṅgha Mahārāja’s down-to-earth approach to our siddhānta which was so much appreciated by his followers, friends and admirers.

We wish to thank all the devotees who have helped us with this book, in particular Kalki Dāsa Adhikārī and his wife Mañjarī Devī Dāsī who have spent many years transcribing the classes and conversations of our Guru Mahārāja.

We would also like to offer our obeisance and gratitude to Śrīpāda B.K. Araṇya Mahārāja for his constant encouragement in our service to our Guru Mahārāja. If Śrī Śrī Guru and Gaurāṅga so desires, we will publish further volumes on other tattvas in the near future.

It is our sincere hope that this book, Guru-Tattva Prakāśīkā will help to shed light on the guru principle for many sincere seekers.

Additionally, we have included as an appendix in this book Śrīla Narasiṅgha Mahārāja’s commentary on Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura’s Gurvaṣṭakam. This was the last written work of our Guru Mahārāja.

Narasiṅgha-pāda-sevaka
Swami B.V. Giri