GURU 18 - WaterGURU 18 - Water
241
THE LESSON LEARNT BY THE AVADHUTA BRAHMANA
A saintly person is just like water because he is free from all
contamination, gentle by nature, and by speaking creates a beautiful
vibration like that of flowing water. Just by seeing, touching or hearing
such a saintly person, the living entity is purified, just as one is cleansed
by contact with pure water. Thus a saintly person, just like a holy place,
purifies all those who contact him because he always chants the glories
of the Lord. The lesson learnt from the water is how to be naturally clear
and purifying.
The Theme – Learn to be pure and clean in
your habits
A saintly person is like pure water, free from all contamination and capable of
purifying all things. Just as pure water is transparent, a saintly person transparently
manifests the Personality of Godhead within his heart. Such love of Godhead is
the reservoir of all happiness. Water makes a most pleasing vibration as it flows
and cascades, and similarly the sound vibration of the Lord’s pure devotee, who
is saturated with the glories of the Lord, is most charming and beautiful. Thus, by
studying the nature of water one can understand the symptoms of a pure devotee of
the Lord.
DEFINITION
One indeed becomes blessed by having darshan of a devotee; for the devotee has
the ability to purify immediately, whereas the sacred tirtha gives purity only after
prolonged contact.
SLOKA RECITATION
Let us learn a sloka from the Niti Sastra which teaches us something about the
above theme.
Before teaching the present verse, the teacher should begin the class by
chanting all the verses of the 24 Gurus with the children all together.
Chant the eighteenth verse of the 24 Gurus again. Tell the children we will
learn the eleventh verse and also understand it.
Learn the eighteenth verse. (The teacher recites the sloka line by line and
makes the children repeat and memorize the sloka)
1/2 60 mins 120 mins
Let us learn a sloka from the Niti Sastra which teaches us something about the
Before teaching the present verse, the teacher should begin the class by
Chant the eighteenth verse of the 24 Gurus again. Tell the children we will
Learn the eighteenth verse. (The teacher recites the sloka line by line and
A saintly person is just like water because he is free from all
contamination, gentle by nature, and by speaking creates a beautiful
vibration like that of flowing water. Just by seeing, touching or hearing
such a saintly person, the living entity is purified, just as one is cleansed
by contact with pure water. Thus a saintly person, just like a holy place,
purifies all those who contact him because he always chants the glories
of the Lord. The lesson learnt from the water is how to be naturally clear
GURU 18 - Water

242
GURU 18 - Water
Drsti putam nyaset padam
Vastra putam jala pibet
Sastra putam vaded vakyam
Manah putam samacaret
i. Clearly view your path before the 1st step.
ii. Drink water after straining it through a clean cloth.
iii. Speak purely. How? By speaking words upheld by scripture.
iv. Act with a pure mind. You won’t fall.
LESSONS FROM GURU – (C-LATCH )
In the Third Canto of Srimad
Bhagavatam, when the Lord meets the
four kumaras, he tells
them the following
things, which show
how pure the devotees
are.
1. The Lord says
that he will cut off
His own arms, if their
conduct is found
hostile to His devotee.
2. The Lord also
says that just because
he serves His devotees,
His lotus feet have
become so sacred that
they immediately wipe
out all sin.
3. The Lord says that just because
he serves his devotees, he has acquired
such a disposition that the goddess of
fortune does not leave Him.
4. The Lord says that the water of
the Ganges is the remnant left after His
feet are washed. That
water sanctifies the
three worlds, along with
Lord Çiva, who bears
it on his head. He says
that if he can take the
dust of the feet of the
Vaiñhëava on His head,
who will refuse to do
the same? This shows
how pure and powerful
a Vaishnava is.
All the above statements
of the Lord indicate how
much the Lord respects
His devotees and also
how pure the devotee of the Lord is. So
pure that even the Lord feels that the
Ganges which is the biggest purifying
water body in this world takes dust of a
devotee to get purified herself.
STORY 1- PURE DEVOTEES ARE THE DEAR MOST TO THE
LORD IN THE ENTIRE CREATION
STORIES

GURU 18 - WaterGURU 18 - Water
243
E.g. When Narada Muni in his last life
was serving the Bhaktivedantists he got
their remnants once. Just by tasting the
remnants of such pure people there was
a powerful transformation in his life
and he ultimately became an
associate of the Lord. This is
the power of the purity of the
devotees of the Lord.
SB 1.5.25
ucchiñöa-lepän anumodito
dvijaiù
sakåt sma bhuïje tad-apästa-
kilbiñaù
evaà pravåttasya viçuddha-
cetasas
tad-dharma evätma-ruciù prajäyate
TRANSLATION
Once only, by their permission, I took
the remnants of their food, and by so
doing all my sins were at once eradicated.
Thus being engaged, I became purified in
heart, and at that time the very nature of
the transcendentalist became attractive
to me.
SB 1.5.26
tatränvahaà kåñëa-kathäù pragäyatäm
anugraheëäçåëavaà manoharäù
täù çraddhayä me ‘nupadaà viçåëvataù
priyaçravasy aìga mamäbhavad ruciù
TRANSLATION
O Vyäsadeva, in that association and by
the mercy of those great Vedäntists, I
could hear them describe the attractive
activities of Lord Kåñëa And thus
listening attentively, my taste for hearing
of the Personality of Godhead increased
at every step.
Narada Muni three lives before was
a gandharva named Upabharna and
was very proud of his beauty and good
qualities. Naturally because of pride, he
was addicted to sin. He was a woman
hunter and a drunkard. As a result of
a curse by the Prajapatis he was born
as a son of a maidservant. But just by
associating with the Bhaktivedantsists
he gave up all his desires to enjoy sense
pleasures and became the topmost
devotee of the Lord.
STORY 2 - PURITY BRINGS SWIFT TRANSFORMATION IN SPITE OF
HIGHLY IMPURE PAST-LIFE
a powerful transformation in his life
and he ultimately became an
associate of the Lord. This is
the power of the purity of the
sakåt sma bhuïje tad-apästa-
evaà pravåttasya viçuddha-
GURU 18 - Water
STORY -3- OF PUNDALIK - SERVING PURE DEVOTEE FREES ONE
FROM ALL CONATAMINATION
Pundalik was a devoted
son to his parents
Janudev and Satyavati.
They lived in a forest
called Dandirvan. But
after his wedding, Pundalik began ill-
treating his parents. Tired with their
son’s misbehavior and ill treatment,
the elderly couple decided to leave for
Kashi. Legend holds that people who die
in the city of Kashi attain salvation and
emancipation from the cycle of birth
and death, and so, many pious Hindus
in bygone era would relocate to Kashi as
their end drew near.
However, the elderly couple were not

244
destined to escape their sufferings so
easily. Upon hearing of their plans,
Pundalik’s wife decided to join them
and make a pilgrimage. Pundalik and
she then joined the same group of
pilgrims on horseback. The ill treatment
of the old couple
continued at the hands
of Pundalik. While the
youthful son and his
wife rode on horseback, the
frail old couple walked in
bad weather. Pundalik even
made his old parents work
towards making his own
journey comfortable. Every
evening when the party camped for
the night, the son forced his parents to
groom the horses and do other jobs.
On the way to Kashi, the group reached
the ashram (hermitage) of a pious and
venerable sage named Kukkutswami.
Being tired from the journey, they
decided to spend a few days there. That
night, when all were asleep, Pundalik
by chance lay awake. He witnessed a
remarkable vision. Just before dawn,
he saw a group of beautiful,
young women, dressed
in dirty clothes, enter the
ashram, clean the floor,
fetch water and wash the venerable
sage’s clothes. After they finished their
chores, they went to the prayer-room of
the hermitage. When they reappeared
after prayer, their clothes were
spotlessly clean. Then, they vanished as
inexplicably as they had appeared.
Pundalik did not feel moved to raise an
alarm; on the other hand, he felt a deep
sense of peace as he witnesses this scene.
It remained on his mind the whole day,
and he resolved upon remaining awake
the next night, to be sure that what he
had witnessed was not merely a dream.
This time however, Pundalik was very
curious. He approached the beautiful
women and asked him them on who
they were.
They said, they were the Ganga, Yamuna
and other holy rivers
of India in which
were revered for their
holiness and pilgrims
thronged to have a dip
in their holy waters to wash away their
sins. The holy rivers explained that their
clothes were dirty and unclean due to
the sins of the bathing pilgrims. “But O
Pundalik, you, with your ill-treatment
of your parents, are the greatest sinner
of them all!”
This incident completely shocked
Pundalik and got a transformation
in him. He realized his misdeeds and
became devoted to his parents. He
made all efforts to make his parents
comfortable. And left no stone unturned
to make his parents happy, even at the
cost of his own comfort.
GURU 18 - Water

GURU 18 - WaterGURU 18 - Water
245
Allen Ginsberg was telling Srila
Prabhupada many melodies
of chanting Hare Krishna
mantra, he asked Srila
Prabhupada which is the
best melody to chant Hare
Krishna. Srila Prabhupada
told Allen Gingsberg, “Any
melody will do, just chant
Hare Krishna”. After this
event Srila Prabhupada went
for the Avalon ball dance, finally when
Srila Prabhupada started the kirtan then
all the hippies started wildly dancing
and chanting the Hare Krishna
Maha mantra. Just by the purity
of Srila Prabhupada’s singing
many people became devotees.
He did not sing in different
melodies to attract people by
music. He had only one melody
which he chanted all the time
and just that was enough to
touch the hearts of all those
who heard it from his mouth. This is the
purity of a devotee.
STORY 4 - HEARING A PURE DEVOTEE
Once when Srila Prabhupada
was walking down the road, a
boy named Howard saw him.
Immediately he was attracted
by the personality of Srila
Prabhupada. He stopped and
asked Srila Prabhupada if he was from
India.SrilaPrabhupadarepliedpositively
and invited Howard to his apartment
for a lecture. Howard then took
his friends and regularly started
attending Srila Prabhupada’s
lectures in twenty sixth, Second
Avenue. Just by once seeing Srila
Prabhupada, gradually Howard
became a devotee of the Lord and went
on to become Hayagriva Prabhu who
contributed a lot to ISKCON.
STORY 5 - PURITY ATTRACTS ONES HEART
asked Srila Prabhupada if he was from became a devotee of the Lord and went
GURU 18 - Water
STORY 6 - CONTACT WITH A PURE DEVOTEE
Once Srila Prabhupada was
travelling in a plane and
the stewardess was very
kind and respectful. She
asked if they want some fruits or some
drink. Srila Prabhupada selected to have
some fruits. She got cut fruits for the
devotees. And also some milk. Then
Srila Prabhupada decided to have some
puffed rice, which they had carried. After
eating some puffed rice, he gave it to his
disciples. The devotees were excited to
eat Srila Prabhupada’s remnants. Just
then the stewardess came and put her
hands in the puffed rice and before the
devotees could say anything,
she picked up a handful of
puffed rice and put it in her
mouth. She then left.
After many years devotees
were doing harinaam in a
remote part of the world and
they found this same lady. But
they found that she was now a devotee
of Krishna and though no association is
available, she still was practising Krishna
consciousness. Just by one instance of
contact with a pure devotee.
hands in the puffed rice and before the
she picked up a handful of

246
GURU 18 - Water
HOW IS IT RELEVANT IN MY LIFE?
From the above we see that contact with a devotee is so powerful that it can change
your life completely. It is such a powerful force that even the Supreme Lord gives
credit to his devotees for all the powers that He has. How much then should we
appreciate and serve devotees?
This is more relevant to our lives because we are always surrounded by devotees.
But the difficulty is that there is a good chance that we take the association of
devotees cheaply. One time Srila Prabhupada commented that, “If we understand
whom we are sitting with, then we will be shocked.” Therefore appreciating power
of devotees is very essential and not to take them cheaply is important for us. Even
if a devotee is our best friend in school, still he is a devotee. We should respect and
appreciate him.

GURU 18 - WaterGURU 18 - Water
247
The teacher should begin the second session of this Pigeon Guru with the recitation
of slokas first.
SLOKA RECITATION
The teacher should begin the class by chanting all the verses of the 24 Gurus
with the children all together.
Chant the eighteenth verse of the 24 Gurus again.
Drsti putam nyaset padam
Vastra putam jala pibet
Sastra putam vaded vakyam
Manah putam samacaret
1. Clearly view your path before the 1st step.
2. Drink water after straining it through a clean cloth.
3. Speak purely. How? By speaking words upheld by scripture.
4. Act with a pure mind. You won’t fall
"Quotes”
Success of a devotee practicing Krishna Consciousness is his level of character or
purity.
LESSONS FROM GURU – (C-LATCH)
2/2 60 mins 120 mins
The teacher should begin the class by chanting all the verses of the 24 Gurus
Chant the eighteenth verse of the 24 Gurus again.
1. Purity due to love
STORY 1 - JATAYU FIGHTS WITH RAVANA DUE TO LOVE FOR RAMA
The vulture Jatayu was asleep when he
heard Sita’s call for help. Waking up, he
suddenly saw Ravana and Sita. Sitting
on a tree branch, the glorious
Jatayu, who resembled a
mountain and who had a
sharp beak, uttered the following good
words: “O ten-headed Ravana, I am the
mighty king of the vultures known by the
name Jatayu. I live by the ancient code of
ethics and am true to my promise. Rama,
the son of King Dasharatha, is the king
of all the worlds and is equal to Indra. He
is engaged in procuring the welfare of all
living beings. This fine lady whom you
wish to abduct is the illustrious legally
Jatayu, who resembled a
GURU 18 - Water

248
GURU 18 - Water
wed wife of Rama and is known by the
name Sita. How could a king observant
of the codes of martial conduct touch
someone else’s wife? O mighty rakshasa,
the wives of kings especially deserve
protection. Arrest this degraded idea of
touching another man’s wife.
After Jatayu logically instructed
Ravana, the furious Ravana’s eyes
burned like twenty fires. With eyes red
from anger, the Lord of the rakshasas
rushed impetuously toward the Lord
of birds. The exchange
of blows between those
two as they fought in
the wilderness was
as tumultuous as two
wind-driven clouds
coliding in the sky.
The battle between the
vulture and the rakshasa
was amazing, like the
conflict between two
famous mountains, both
of which were named
Malyavan. Thereafter
the monstrous rakshasa
showered the vulture
king with solid steel arrows, sharp steel-
tipped arrows and barbed arrows. During
that encounter, Jatayu endured Ravana’s
weapons which formed a network of
arrows. With the sharp talons on his
feet, Jatayu inflicted many wounds on
Ravana’s body. Then, for the purpose
of slaying his enemy, the ten-headed
rakshasa angrily grabbed ten straight-
shooting and fiercesome arrows that
were like Death’s rod of chastisement.
The formidable, sharp and barbed arrows
released by the powerful rakshasa flew
straight and pierced the vulture. Seeing
Sita on the rakshasa’s chariot with tears
in Her eyes, Jatayu paid no attention
to those arrows and rushed toward the
rakshasa.
Then the heroic Lord of birds
broke with his two feet Ravana’s bow
which was adorned with pearls and fixed
with an arrow. Lifting up another bow,
theenragedRavanathenreleasedavolley
of hundreds and thousands of arrows.
Surrounded on all sides by arrows on
the arena of battle, Jatayu resembled a
bird sitting in its nest.
Deflecting those arrows
with his wings, Jatayu
broke Ravana’s large
bow with his feet. By the
flapping of his wings, the
powerful Lord of birds
knocked off Ravana’s
armor which shone like
fire. He also killed the
chariot’s swift team of
refulgent mules that had
heads like goblins and
wore gold breast-plates.
He then smashed the
large chariot that shone
like a flame of fire and was encrusted
with gold and gems. With great force
Jatayu knocked down the parasol that
was like a full moon, along with the yak-
tail wisks and the rakshasas who held
them. The glorious king of birds then
forcibly snapped off with his beak the
head of Ravana’s chariot driver.
With his bow broken, deprived
of his chariot and his horses and driver
killed, Ravana clutched Sita as he fell to
theground.WhentheysawRavanafallen
on the ground and his vehicle destroyed,
all living beings honored Jatayu saying:

GURU 18 - WaterGURU 18 - Water
249
GURU 18 - Water
“Well done! Well done!” Seeing that the
ruler of bird species was exhausted due
to his old age, Ravana was elated and,
clutching hold of Sita, once more rose
up into the air. As the delighted Ravana
was going, holding Sita in his embrace,
the vulture king flew up toward him.
Blocking his way, the glorious Jatayu
said the following: “O less intelligent
Ravana, surely it is for the slaughter of
the rakshasas that you are carrying away
the wife of Rama, whose arrows feel
like the striking of thunderbolts. With
your friends and relatives, ministers,
army and retinue, you are drinking a
deadly poison, as a thirsty man drinks
water. Not foreseeing the results of their
activities, the ignorant quickly perish,
as you will too. Since you are caught in
the noose of death, like a fish that has
swallowed a hook along with the bait,
how will you get free?
“Indeed, those two descendants of
the Raghu Dynasty - Rama and Laxmana
- who are most difficult to assail, will not
forgive the violation of this hermitage.
The manner in which you, a coward,
have executed this deed denounced by
the world is the path trodden by thieves,
not heroes. O Ravana, stop for a while!
Fight if you have the courage! You will
shortly lie down dead on the ground
like your brother Khara. You have
committed such an outrageous action
for your own destruction, as a person
may do at the time of death . Who would
perform an action whose result is sinful,
even though he be Brahma, the Lord of
this world, or the Supreme Personality
of Godhead?”
When Jatayu finished speaking
these auspicious words. The valorous
vulture jumped on the back of the
ten-headed rakshasa. Grabbing the
rakshasa, Jatayu cut him all over with
his sharp talons, as a trainer mounted
on an elephant would jab it with a goad.
Having his talons, wings and beak as
weapons, Jatayu pecked Ravana’s back
with his beak and pulled on his hair
with his talons. On being repeatedly
tormented by the vulture king, Ravana
trembled and his lips throbbed due to
indignation.
Clutching Sita tightly to his left
thigh, Ravana, being enfuriated, swung
at Jatayu with the palm of his hand.
Dodging that blow, Jatayu, the defeater
of enemies, tore off Rama’s ten left
arms with his beak. Even though his
ten arms had been severed, new ones
suddenly sprung out, like snakes that
come out of an anthill while spewing
poisonous flames. Then the ten-headed
Ravana released Sita and angrily struck
the vulture king with his two fists and
feet. The two heroes - the chief of the
rakshasas and the best of the winged
creatures - engaged in combat for
an hour. Drawing his sword, Ravana
chopped off the wings, shoulders and
feet of Jatayu, who was fighting for the
sake of Rama. Having his wings cut off all
of a sudden by the rakshasa of frightful
deeds, the vulture fell wounded on the
ground with little life remaining. When
Sita saw Jatayu fallen on the ground
and drenched in blood, She ran toward
him out of grief as if he were one of Her
family relations.
Thus giving up one’s life to try and
rescue Sita from Ravana, Jatayu could do
such an act only due to his purity of love
for Lord Rama.

250
GURU 18 - Water
2. Purity is to serve others – just like water
being pure is not great for itself, but it gives
life and health to many
STORY 2 - HANUMAN IN LANKA SEEING QUEENS BUT FOCUSED ON
SERVICE TO LORD RAMA.
BEING CONTEMPLATIVE OF ONE’S MOTIVES.
When Hanuman was roaming about in
the palace of Ravana
searching for Sita, he
had to scrutinizingly
see each woman
and find out if it
was Sitadevi. All the
women were hardly
dressed properly;
he began to wonder
what he was doing
in such a place. He
began to question himself, that he was
supposed to be a brahmacari, what is he
doing seeing all these women.
Then he concluded that if you have
to search for a goat
or buffalo, you have
to search for them in
their community only.
Therefore to search
for Sitadevi among the
raksasa community,
he has to undergo this
austerity. Thus he
pacified himself and
convinced himself that
he is not in anyway enjoying senses.
Verse from Ramayana – when there is
Rama there is no kama
LESSON: This could only be done by someone who is very pure at heart and one
who has lot of love for his master, that he is ready to even give his life like Jatayu.
3. Purity leads to faith
STORY 3 - FAITH IN THE PURITY OF HANUMAN
Rama gave full description of mother
Sita to Hanuman, a brahamcari, so much
trust. This is not mentioned directly in
Ramayan, but by what Hanumana said
to Sita we can understand,
yathaa rupam yathaa varnam
yathaa laxmim ca niscitha
asrusham raaghavasyaaham
seyamaasaadita mayaa
Laxmi means laxma means sign, laxmi

GURU 18 - WaterGURU 18 - Water
251
GURU 18 - Water
means those signs which only the wife
of Lord has. This shows how Rama had
great faith in Hanumana, to speak about
his wife to a brahamacari.
Connection – Laxman not able to
recognize the nose ring – Hanuman one
step ahead – Lord describing His wife.
LESSON: Lord Rama had full faith in Hanuman’s purity.
4. Pure love has the power to control Krsna
There are many scriptural examples to illustrate this.
EXAMPLE 3
The gopés are willing to
put the dust of their feet on
Kåñëa’s head to relieve His
headache even for a moment;
ready to even go to hell for
the rest of eternity. They are
willing to sacrifice everything
for Kåñëa, with intense love.
Kåñëa is conquered by the
power of Vraja gopés.
EXAMPLE 1
Çrédämä, one of Kåñëa’s gopa friends,
wrestles with Kåñëa and
defeats Him. Does Çrédämä
have muscles big enough
to beat in wrestling that
personality who is the
source of Mahä- Viñëu,
who destroys all cosmic manifestations?
No. Kåñëa is defeated by
Çrédämä, because Kåñëa’s
greatest pleasure is in being
defeated by His friend, a
devotee as He is conquered
by the power of love.
EXAMPLE 2
Mother Yaçodä runs after Kåñëa
with a whipping stick in her
hand to chastise Him for having
stolen butter. The source of
Varahadev, Narasimadev,
Kñérodakaçäyé Vishnu.
Ramachandra, Viraatroop is
running away from a simple
lady weeping, trembling,
begging forgiveness and
ultimately getting tied by
her with a rope. Simply
because Kåñëa takes the
greatest joy in being
conquered by the power of
love.

252
GURU 18 - Water
EXAMPLE 4 - SOUTH INDIAN BRAHMIN ATTRACTED LORD CAITANYA
MAHAPRABHU EVEN THOUGH HE WAS NOT AN EXPERT.
In the holy place of Çré
Raìga-kñetra, a brähmaëa
Vaiñëava used to visit the
temple daily and recite
the entire text of the
Bhagavad-gétä. The brähmaëa regularly
read the eighteen chapters of the
Bhagavad-gétä in great transcendental
ecstasy, but because he could not
pronounce the words correctly, people
used to joke about him. Due to his
incorrect pronunciation, people
sometimes criticized him and
laughed at him, but he did not care.
He was full of ecstasy due to reading
the Bhagavad-gétä and was personally
very happy. While reading the book, the
brähmaëa experienced transcendental
bodily transformations. The hairs on
his body stood on end, tears welled
up in his eyes, and his body trembled
and perspired as he read. Seeing this,
Çré Caitanya Mahäprabhu became very
happy. Çré Caitanya Mahäprabhu asked
the brähmaëa, “My dear sir, why are you
in such ecstatic love? Which portion
of the Bhagavad-gétä gives you such
transcendental pleasure?”
The brähmaëa replied, “I am illiterate
and therefore do not know the meaning
of the words. Sometimes I read the
Bhagavad-gétä correctly and sometimes
incorrectly, but in any case I am doing
this in compliance with the orders of my
spiritual master.”
“Actually I only see Lord Kåñëa sitting
on a chariot as Arjuna’s charioteer.
Taking the reins in His hands, He
appears very beautiful and blackish.”
“While seeing Lord Kåñëa sitting in a
chariot and instructing Arjuna, I am
filled with ecstatic happiness. “As long
as I read the Bhagavad-gétä, I simply see
the Lord’s beautiful features. It is for this
reason that I am reading the Bhagavad-
gétä, and my mind cannot be distracted
from this.”
Çré Caitanya Mahäprabhu told the
brähmaëa, “Indeed, you are an authority
in the reading of the Bhagavad-gétä.
Whatever you
know constitutes
the real purport of
the Bhagavad-gétä.”
After saying this,
Lord Caitanya
M a h ä p r a b h u
embraced the
brähmaëa, and the
brähmaëa, catching
the lotus feet of the
Lord, began to cry.
LESSON: It is easy and simple to please the Lord if one with a pure heart follows
the instruction of his spiritual master rather than trying to be independent and
performing great tasks but in the bargain offending devotees.
Madhya 9.104

GURU 18 - WaterGURU 18 - Water
253
GURU 18 - Water
5. Purity of mind
STORY 4 - YAJNAIC BRAHMINS FAILED KRISHNA’S TEST
When the
cowherd boys
became very
hungry, they
asked Çré Kåñëa about obtaining
the sacrifice nearby. But these
brähmaëas ignored the boys,
thinking Çré Kåñëa an ordinary human
being. The boys returned disappointed,
but the Lord sent them off again,
advising them to ask the brähmaëas’
wives for the food. These ladies had
heard of Kåñëa’s transcendental qualities
and were very much attached to Him.
Thus as soon as they learned
He was nearby, they went to
Him in great haste, bringing
all four varieties of food. In
this way they offered themselves to Çré
Kåñëa.
Kåñëa told the women that while one
can develop transcendental love for Him
by seeing His Deity form in the temple,
meditating upon Him and chanting His
glories, one cannot achieve this result
simply by being in His physical presence.
He advised them that since they were
housewives, their particular duty was to
help their husbands perform sacrifices.
He therefore instructed them to return
to their homes.
When the ladies went back home, their
brähmaëa husbands at
once felt remorse, and
they lamented, “For
anyone inimical to Kåñëa, his three births-
seminal, brahminical and sacrificial-are
all condemned. On the other hand, these
womenfolk, who have not undergone the
purificatory processes of the brahminical
class or performed any austerity or pious
rituals, have through devotion for Kåñëa
easily cut off the bondage of death.
“Since Lord Kåñëa’s every desire is
completely fulfilled, His begging for
food was simply an act of mercy toward
us brähmaëas. All the fruits of Vedic
sacrifice-and indeed all things on earth-
are His opulences, yet out of ignorance
we could not appreciate this fact.”
Having spoken thus, all the brähmaëas
offered their obeisances to Lord Çré
Kåñëa, hoping to counteract their offense.
Nonetheless, out of fear of
King Kaàsa they did not
go to see the Lord in
person.SB 10.23.
brähmaëa husbands at
once felt remorse, and
they lamented, “For
Nonetheless, out of fear of
King Kaàsa they did not
go to see the Lord in
person.SB 10.23.

254
GURU 18 - Water
6. Purity is force – what is force? – the thing
that pushes ahead
STORY 5 - MENTALITY OF THE MATERIALISTS
THE FOLLOWING IS CONVERSATION OF SRILA PRAHBHUPADA WITH
TWO OF HIS DISCIPLES.
Srila Prabhupada said, “From the very
beginning we are following to keep
these principles in forefront. This
is appreciated by anyone. Even
if he is himself a debauch,
he’ll appreciate. It is so nice
thing. A person may be
a big drunkard, but he’ll
never like to see his son
drunkard. That is natural.”
One disciple grinned and said
that although his father smoked,
he told him not to smoke and the
other devotee too said that his father did
the same thing.
Prabhupäda chuckled, hypothetically
paraphrasing our parents: “’When
you are older, you become a
debauch—but don’t become
now!’ If it is a good thing,
why older and younger?”
He said that such a reaction
was natural. “These things are
not good. They know it, but they
are habituated. But they do not like
that son should be habituated.”
these principles in forefront. This
is appreciated by anyone. Even
if he is himself a debauch,
he’ll appreciate. It is so nice
thing. A person may be
a big drunkard, but he’ll
never like to see his son
drunkard. That is natural.”
One disciple grinned and said
that although his father smoked,
Prabhupäda chuckled, hypothetically
paraphrasing our parents: “’When
you are older, you become a
debauch—but don’t become
now!’ If it is a good thing,
why older and younger?”
He said that such a reaction
was natural. “These things are
not good. They know it, but they
are habituated. But they do not like
7. How to maintain individual purity?
Do the following.
• To be pure devotees, we must follow Krishna’s or Lord Caitanya’s instructions
• See the action of pure souls – study their lives closely
• Practice strict principles – take vows – be inspired by people who have taken
strict vows
E.g. Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur, - When he was small and was 5
years old he was given a mango which he ate without offering to the Lord.
Later on being reminded of this mistake he repented by abstaining from
mango throughout his life.
E.g. Bhisma – He took the vow of celibacy and also to protect Hastinapur
and not give up his life unless Hastinapur was in safe hands.
E.g. Arjuna – We should learn how he was surrendered to Krishna inspite
of his talents and strength.

GURU 18 - WaterGURU 18 - Water
255
HOW TO PURIFY THE DIFFERENT ITEMS GIVEN BELOW?
a. Mountains
b. Body
c. Plate
d. Birth
e. Senses
f. Different items like a flower,fruit.
g. Possessions and wealth
h. Mind
Procedure of
purification
ITEMS TO BE PURIDIED
a. Mountains
b. Body
c. Plate
d. Birth
e. Senses
f. Different Objects like
flowers,fruits
g. Possessions like wealth
h. Mind
b. Body
Factor of time
Snana(Taking a bath)
Wash with water
Samskaras
Austerity
Use them in worship
By giving in Charity
By developing satisfaction
GURU 18 - Water

256
GURU 18 - Water
9. Purity can be maintained if you want to
please someone
We are often tested in this material world and the forces of material energy
are so strong that it is practically impossible to control them or to control ones
desires. But by taking shelter of a pure devotee we can learn the way of practicing
purity. Also when we love someone we go to any extent to help that person or
please that particular devotee. Similarly if we genuinely love some devotee then for
his sake we can actually practice purity by controlling the temptations to enjoy the
senses when nobody is there to govern us. If at some point of time we are tempted
to do something that is unfavourable for our devotional service than just think
how that person we love would feel on knowing that we behaved in such away
before doing that unfavourable activity. It may be anything like not studying for
exams, misbehaving at home, eating things, which devotees normally would not, or
watching any movie or undesirable activity. So we could actually get and gather the
strength to restrain ourselves in such a situation by thinking as to what he will feel
about me when he comes to know that I behaved like this.
10. Purity of water – can be seen only in a
transparent medium
Just as the purity of water can be seen only in transparent medium like glass
etc similarly it is important one whose life is very transperant and has nothing to
hide from others especially his spiritual master who he takes regular shelter then for
such a person his level of purity is visible distinctly.
8. At no stage compromise even if no one
is around – because a pure person is always
being tested
STORY 6 - HARIDASTHAKUR
Haridas Thakur was a pure devotee of the
Lord who used to chant the holy names.
So once, mayadevi came to test him and
Haridas Thakur due to his purity and
love for Lord passed the test with flying
colors. Similarly in another incident
the prostitute who came to
disturb Haridas Thakur fell
at his feet and later became
his initiated disciple.This
was possible only because of his pure
chanting of the holy name.

GURU 18 - WaterGURU 18 - Water
257
11. If water gets contaminated – to purify it –
it is boiled
STORY 3 - FAITH IN THE PURITY OF HANUMAN
Just as we see that if water is
contaminated to purify the
water, it needs to be boiled.
Similarly we have so many
anarthas in us, so once we
take to the process of Krishna
consciousness, the cleansing
process starts and purification
takes place. Hence we find that
purification.
12. Purity in habits
Practice and Preach
STORY 7 - ENCOURAGE EVERYONE TO ACT PURELY - BY YOURSELF
ACTING PURELY
Story of a sage asking a mother to
come after 7 days before he could tell
the child to stop eating chocolates.
Once upon a time a child was
eating too many sweets and his
mother was very worried and
wanted to stop the child from
eating sweets for health reasons.
So she took the child to a
saint asking him to tell the
child to refrain from eating
anymore sweets. The sage
told the mother to bring
the boy a week later and
he would deal with the
matter appropriately. As
mentioned the mother brought the child
a week later and the sage told the boy to
refrain from anymore sweets. On being
questioned as to why hadn’t he instructed
the same a week earlier the sage replied’
“I myself had to give up eating sweets first
before I could tell him to stop eating.”
Hence you were called a week later.
Once upon a time a child was
eating too many sweets and his
mother was very worried and
wanted to stop the child from
eating sweets for health reasons.
So she took the child to a
saint asking him to tell the
child to refrain from eating
anymore sweets. The sage
mentioned the mother brought the child
It is over a period of time with long practice – even
in trying circumstances
STORY 8 -DITI’S DETERMINATION TO KILL INDRA WAS PURIFIED
DUE TO PURE HABITS GIVEN BY KASHYAP
When, however, she requested
a son who would kill Indra, he
condemned himself, and he
advised his wife Diti to follow the
Vaiñëava ritualistic ceremonies
to purify herself. When Diti,
following the instructions of
Kaçyapa, engaged in devotional
service, Indra could understand
her purpose, and he began
observing all her activities. One
day, Indra had the opportunity
GURU 18 - Water

258
GURU 18 - Water
to see her deviating from devotional
service. Thus he entered her womb and
cut her son into forty-nine parts. In this
way the forty-nine kinds of air known
as the Maruts appeared, but because Diti
had performed the Vaiñëava ritualistic
ceremonies, all the sons became
Vaiñëavas.
For more details read the SB canto 6
chapter18
Mention a story you know of how a devotee whom you know
influenced another person in his life. Mention how that devotee changed the
life of that person, if possible with details of the incident.
Nature Lessons on Guru -
Show pps of water and explain the concept of using it scarcely and
without wastage.
Conclusion
Brief Recap of Guru