Excerpt of a lecture by Sri Srimad Gour Govinda Swami Maharaja given in Amherst, USA, 2 June 1995:
“There should be complete surrender. Not conditional, not artificial, not partial. That is gurupadasraya. To accept guru means unconditional surrender.
In Bhagavad-gita (2.7), Arjuna says, sisyas te ’ham sadhi mam tvam prapannam. “I become your sisya, disciple.” One who is under strict, discipline, he is a disciple. And karna-dhara guru is the steering holder.
[Referring to Bhag. 1.1.22]
The great sages of Naimisaranya speaking to Srila Suta Gosvami:
tvam nah sandarsito dhatra
dustaram nistitirsatam
kalim sattva-haram pumsam
karna-dhara ivarnavam
“We think that we have met Your Goodness by the will of providence, just so that we may accept you as captain of the ship for those who desire to cross the difficult ocean of Kali , which deteriorates all the good qualities of a human being.”
You cannot go hither and thither. Karna also means “ear.” Guru can catch hold of your ear and slap you. “You rascal! What are you doing?” The guru has that right and you have to accept it because he is guru. You cannot sue him in the court.
If someone catches hold of your ear and slaps you, you can sue him in court. But you cannot sue guru because you have voluntarily accepted it: sisyas te ’ham sadhi mam tvam prapannam — “I become your sisya, I accept you as my guru. Please inflict very severe discipline on me.” Sadhi mam means “inflict very severe discipline on me.” Thereby your strong attachment will be cut off.
Whatever severe discipline guru inflicts upon you, accept it gladly, without grumbling. Then this strong attachment will be cut off. Thereby he is lifting your anchor which is now stuck very deeply in the mud. Then he will row the boat. He is very expert and he knows how to ferry this boat amidst all sorts of obstacles and dangers. But you have to accept his discipline.”
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