Guru's property

Expressions researched:
"guru's property"

Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures

Everything is guru's property. So much so that after cooking everything, the spiritual master will call, "My dear boys, come on. Take prasādam." But if he forgets to call somebody, he will not touch. He will not touch. This is brahmacārī. "Oh, spiritual master has not called me; so I will fast."

Lecture on BG 1.26-27 -- London, July 21, 1973: So when the brahmacārī goes for begging, "Mother, give me something, alms," so immediately, some rice, some dāhl, some atta, is given, or some vegetables, sometimes some money. So they bring everything to the spiritual master and it becomes the property of the spiritual master. Because he has begged, it is not his property. Sarvasvaṁ guru-veditam(?). Everything is guru's property. So much so that after cooking everything, the spiritual master will call, "My dear boys, come on. Take prasādam." But if he forgets to call somebody, he will not touch. He will not touch. This is brahmacārī. "Oh, spiritual master has not called me; so I will fast." (laughter) He begged the rice and vegetables and atta and dāhl. It is cooked. But when it is cooked, that is also spiritual master's property. If the spiritual master does not ask him to take, he cannot take. He cannot touch. This is brahmacārī life. So therefore the first training is given, to become austere, tolerate, how to tolerate, how to call other women as "mother."

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

Go to gurukula and serve the mahat guru, the broad-minded guru, just like a menial servant. What is that? You go collect everything for guru, alms, and do not claim proprietorship. It is guru's property. Whatever you collect, that is not your property. That is guru's property.

Lecture on SB 5.5.2 -- Hyderabad, April 12, 1975: I am worshiping the Govinda, the ādi-puruṣa, the Supreme Person, ādyaṁ purāṇa-puruṣam nava-yauvanaṁ ca [Bs. 5.33]. These are the information we get from the śāstra. Adyam, He is the original person. Ādyaṁ purāṇa puruṣam, the oldest person. Nava-yauvanaṁ ca, and at the same time always fresh youth. So how we shall learn all these things? Mahat-sevā. Go to mahat, mahānta, the guru. Serve him. Tad viddhi praṇipātena paripraśnena sevayā [Bg. 4.34]. You cannot challenge like a nonsense. You have to engage yourself to the service. That is the beginning. Brahmacārī is indicated, "Go to gurukula." And you may be a king's son or a very learned brāhmaṇa's son, it doesn't matter. You serve your guru just like a menial servant. This is the instruction. This is the first education. Go to gurukula and serve the mahat guru, the broad-minded guru, just like a menial servant. What is that? You go collect everything for guru, alms, and do not claim proprietorship. It is guru's property. Whatever you collect, that is not your property. That is guru's property. And go to gurukula, and when guru will ask you, "My dear boy, please come and take your prasādam," then you'll take. If guru forgets to call you, you should fast. This is gurukula. Not that "I am hungry. There is foodstuff. Let me eat." No. Without permission of guru you cannot touch anything. This is the injunction. Now how... Strenuous training was there to live in gurukula and sacrifice the whole life for guru's instruction. This is the Vedic culture, brahmacārī, and live at the place of guru just like a menial servant.

Small children or big children, they will address, "Mother, give us some alms." So every woman will give, and they would bring it to guru. And that is guru's property, not because he has begged this thing from somebody, it has become his property. No. It is guru's property.

Lecture on SB 6.1.21 -- Honolulu, May 21, 1976: Brāhmaṇa, they are teachers, natural teachers, and there is no fees. No fees. Just like we started this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, teaching, but there was no fees. This is the teaching, real teaching. So brāhmaṇa should not charge anything, but they can take charity. So the students, they would bring charities naturally. This was brāhmaṇa's profession. They would not charge anything, but his disciples, students, would beg from door to door and bring. That is gurukula. Gurukula. Gurukula means every student should go to gurukula and learn to become very simple and obedient and self-controlled and learn how to address every woman as mother. This is guru..., from the very beginning. They would go every home. Small children or big children, they will address, "Mother, give us some alms." So every woman will give, and they would bring it to guru. And that is guru's property, not because he has begged this thing from somebody, it has become his property. No. It is guru's property. This is called brahmacārī gurukula, to gives one the training. So when he's trained up nicely, humble, self-controlled, educated, then his second birth, second birth by Vedic knowledge.

Now, as soon as you bring the collection before the guru... It was meant for the guru, so it is guru's property. It is not your property.

Lecture on SB 7.12.5 -- Bombay, April 16, 1976: Twice in a day the brahmacārīs should be trained up to collect alms: in the morning, in the evening. And bhaikṣyam, and gurave tan nivedayet. And whatever collection is there, it should be offered to the guru. Not that something kept for my own purpose. No. Everything should be offered, whatever you collect. You cannot keep because everything in the gurukula or in the temple, it is for the interest of the guru. In the beginning it was said, vasan dānto guror hitam. Everything, all collection, either in cash or kind, that is for the benefit of guru, not the personal benefit. No. Therefore only the gṛha, I mean to say, sannyāsīs and the brahmacārīs, they can beg. They can collect, not others. That is prohibited. Sāyaṁ prātaś cared bhaikṣyam gurave tan nivedayet. Now, as soon as you bring the collection before the guru... It was meant for the guru, so it is guru's property. It is not your property. "Then what I shall do? Everything is given to guru. Then what shall I do?" That is said: bhuñjīta yady anujñātaḥ. Now, these things will be prepared. The brahmacārī will collect dahl, rice, attar, and everything. It will be prepared, offered to the Deity. That's a fact. But if by mistake guru forgets to call a particular disciple—"My dear son, please come, take your prasādam"—then he should not take prasādam. "Guru has forgotten, so I shall not go and take, myself, the foodstuff. I shall fast." This is brahmacārī. Here it is said, bhuñjīta yady anujñāto. Everything is there, prasādam is ready, but you can eat if you are ordered by the spiritual master. This is called tapasya. Not that "Guru is not here and so much foodstuff... Let me eat sumptuously and sleep twenty-four hours." This is not brahmacārī. We should be very careful. Without order of guru... Of course, our students are trained up. They ask permission. But here it is said that he should not ask permission even. If guru calls him, then he can take; otherwise guru has forgotten to call him somehow or other, so he should starve, or he should fast on that day.

1977 Conversations and Morning Walks

And whatever collection is there, he'll bring it to guru. So he does not claim that "I have collected. It is my property." No. It is guru's property. This is the first training. He works so hard to collect, but the property belongs to the guru.

Evening Darsana -- February 26, 1977, Mayapura:

Prabhupāda: So we shall take it. This is Vedic civilization, that train the children how to become restrained, subdued, from the very beginning. Then he will take other education.

Brahmānanda: But what is the process for subduing?

Prabhupāda: That he should act simply for the benefit of the guru. This is the process. He has no personal interest. He'll go by the order of guru to beg alms from different householders and... They are innocent children. They'll go, ask, "Mother, give me some alms." And the mother also knows that "My child or his child, they are all neighbors' child. They will give." And whatever collection is there, he'll bring it to guru. So he does not claim that "I have collected. It is my property." No. It is guru's property. This is the first training. He works so hard to collect, but the property belongs to the guru. Guror hitam. This is first training. And that is the meaning of karmaṇy evādhikāras te mā phaleṣu kadācana. That gentleman was quoting this. He does not know what is the meaning. He... Karmaṇy e... He is engaged to work, to collect. Just like you are doing that. You are, whole day you are working for the selling books, but you don't make a farthing even out of the profit. That is for the guror hitam, for the benefit of guru.

1976 Correspondence

Whatever he has taken must be returned and he must pay back the money that he has kept. How can he claim proprietorship, everything is the property of the Guru. You must inform them wherever he has gone that he must return whatever he has taken.

Letter to Gurukrpa -- Vrindaban 26 October, 1976: The behavior of Sukadeva is very bad. It is good that he has resigned. The fact is that unless the management is strictly supervised, these things will happen. Sudama and Manasvi did the same thing. Be careful so that these things may not happen again in the future. The president cannot take any loans without authorization. This is a declaration. These things must not be allowed. Whatever he has taken must be returned and he must pay back the money that he has kept. How can he claim proprietorship, everything is the property of the Guru. You must inform them wherever he has gone that he must return whatever he has taken. Now you please stay there until you have properly trained up a competent manager and then you must carefully supervise so that this may not happen again. Hawaii is a good field so do it carefully. You have done the right thing to inform me of the situation. Thank you for rectifying the situation.