The third chapter of "Sri Guru and His Grace" begins with some words which I cannot understand. What does he want to say? Somebody can give explanation please? I have put in bold what I don't understand:
Chapter Three
Descent of the Revealed Truth
Krsna consciousness, the spiritual conception of the highest level, descends by flowing down from one level to the next, just as from the peak of a mountain, the Ganges flows in a zigzag way, from one peak to another. Sometimes the water of the Ganges mixes with the current of the river Saraswati. That water is not to be considered Ganges water. When the water of the Saraswati joins the current of the Ganges, it is considered to be Ganges water. When the two rivers meet, the water that flows away from the Ganges is not the Ganges; but when the Saraswati's waters enter into the current of the Ganges, it becomes the Ganges. That water will purify us, whatever its point of origin may have been. There is a saying that whatever water is deep within the current of the Ganges riverbed, is the real Ganges water.
I'm at Audarya this week doing some seva, so I took advantage of the opportunity and asked Guru Maharaja about this in person.
With the rivers analogy Sridhara Maharaja is talking about the purifying power of the parampara. The parampara is the Ganges--it descends from the highest plane, coming down in a zigzag way (meaning that the living current is found in siksa and not necessarily in the diksa line). If one enters into that stream, regardless of one's point of origin (low birth, etc.) one will be purified and in turn will be able to purify others. If one leaves that stream, regardless of high birth or other qualifications the power to be purified and to purify others will be lost.
Thank you for asking Maharaj for me.
By the way recently I am thinking a lot about the difference of opinions... which was happening to me a lot here and how it was making me feel... sometimes losing any desire of coming here or reading... then struggling to do it for some days till I could do it... and all of a sudden today I came across a sentence with which Maharaj was starting one of his answers in Sanga:
"I may have disagreements with some of my Godbrothers and Godsisters who are members of Iskcon, but that does not mean that I do not have affection for them and they for me."
Maybe this is the clue I needed. That even though unity of opinion is a very sweet thing, it's not always happening that way. Also in our sampradaya. But there is something more important, if love can go on... even when the opinions differ. One cannot betray his own feeling and opinion, cannot be unloyal to his mind and heart, but maybe the secret is to keep loving.
I was also thinking and trying to imagine if I was in Audaria with all the simple life there and green all around and the sweet cows and calfs, if it would matter for me the differences of opinion or it will be so much secondary in that moment, that would not even cross my mind... Where there is purity and shakti springing out of that purity, all other questions a kind of fade away.
I remeber one time in the ashram in Hungary Gurudev was giving a lecture in Hungarian from which I knew just few words. In this way the meaning of what he was saying was completely out of my reach and this was at the beginning driving me crazy... but then I remember I was watching for these 1-2 hours during the whole lecture how he was waving his beautiful artistic long fingers and just listening to the melody of his voice and this was giving me such a great aesthetic pleasure that I even forgot my anger for that he was speaking in Hungarian knowing very well that I don't understand anything. At the end of the lecture I was feeling like spending 2 hours in complete bliss and I thought that I don't care that I didn't get a word if I felt so much happiness and extacy. First time such a conclusion was crossing my mind and it was a true revelation for me...
All of a sudden at the end of the lecture Gurudev asked me "Do you have questons, Yamuna?"
Of course firstly I thought to look him firmly in the eyes and answer: "Yes, would you please repeat all this in English". But there was such a peace in my heart and I heard myself answering instead: "No Gurudev, I have no questions..."