SUNANDA GANDHARBA DIED TODAY

A story about accepting proper guru and guidance
and the requirements of a qualified disciple.
 
Flock of SheepThere is a logic, nyaya called gaddalika-srota-nyaya, the logic of the flock of sheep. Gaddalika means flock of sheep. You see, a flock of sheep is moving with one sheep at the head, the front, the leader. If leader jumps into a ditch, the whole flock of sheep will jump into ditch. They never go by the other way. So this has been going on. Nobody has been serious. "Oh yes, all accept him as Guru." All say, "He’s a first class devotee, paramahamsa," like that. "So they have all accepted him as Guru, so let me accept him as Guru." But you’re not seriously thinking, is it a true fact or not?

Let me tell you a funny story in this matter. Many acaryas tell this story. This is not my concoction, acaryas say. Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura has told this story.

Sunanda GandharbaThere was a washerman and he washes clothes. He was the King's washerman. He washes the Kings' clothes and he also had an ass [donkey]. Generally washerman have asses. Asses are beasts of burden as they carry heavy loads. The washerman used to employ that ass to carry the dirty clothes for washing, you see. The washerman had this ass for a long period, many, many years. At last that ass grew old and died. That washerman had given the name Sunanda Gandharba to that ass, so the ass was known as Sunanda Gandharba you see.

So he thought, “Oh Sunanda Gandharba has died today so let me shave my head and have a dip in the holy water." So he shaved his head and had a dip. The priest of king saw the washerman had shaved his head. He asked, "Why have you shaved your head?" Then that washerman said, “Don’t you know, Sunanda Gandharba died today.”
“Oh, Sunanda Gandarbha died?”Washerman
“Oh yes.”
“So it is a very auspicious... an auspicious day?”
“Yes.”
“So let me shave.”
“Alright, you shave your head.”
So the priest of the King shaved his head. Then the minister of the King saw the priest had shaved his head. So he asked the priest, “Why have you shaved your head?”
Then the priest said, “Don’t you know? Sunanda Gandharba died today, it is very auspicious day, so I shaved my head.”
“Oh, is it? Auspicious day. . . .”
“Oh yes!”
“So let me shave my head,” the minister said.
“Alright, you shave your head.”
So the minister shaved his head. The King saw the minister had shaved his head. So King asked, “Why have you shaved your head?”
“Don’t you know? Sunanda Gandharba died today. Very auspicious day.”
So the King said, “Oh, shall I shave my head?”
“Alright, you shave.” So King shaved his head.

Maharani QueenThe Queen saw the King had shaved his head, so the Queen asked, “Why have you shaved your head? What happened to you? Why have you shaved?”
Then the King said, “Don’t you know? Sunanda Gandharba died today. It is an auspicious day, today.”
The Queen replied, “Who told you?”
The King said, “The minister told me.”
“Ask that minister to come to me.” So the minister came, then the Queen asked, “Why have you shaved your head?”
The minister replied, “Sunanda Gandharba died today.”
“Who told you?”
“The priest told me.”
“Ask that priest to come here."
So when the priest came, the Queen asked, "Oh, priest you have shaved your head, alright. Why have you shaved your head?”
The preist replied, “Sunanda Gandharba died today.”
“Who told you?”
The priest said, “The washerman told me.”
“Call that washerman.”
The washerman was called for, then Queen asked, “Washerman, who is that Sunanda Gandharba who died today? You have shaved your head and all are shaving their heads for Sunanda Gandharba? Who is he?”
He said, “Oh Queen, I had an ass... his name was Sunanda Gandharba, he died today.”

Therefore you see, an ass had died and all were shaving their heads. Nobody is inquiring who is Sunanda Gandharba? Why shall we shave our head? Do you understand the story? So this is going on, this is known as gaddalika-srota-nyaya, the head sheep in the front is jumping into the ditch and all are following without thinking. So this is like that.

In the spiritual field this [type of blind following] is not applicable at all. You should know it very clearly. This is never applicable. One should be very serious, one should be very inquisitive to understand it clearly. Do you understand? And Krsna will give you intelligence, yad yami buddhi yogam tam. In the Gita Krsna has said this, I’ll give him buddhi, intelligence. Pure intelligence comes from Krsna. Who is very serious about Krsna, to know Krsna, to understand Krsna. But nobody was serious, so this thing took place. Do you understand? So now you become serious. Pray to Krsna, Caitanya Mahaprabhu and Srila Prabhupada from the core of your heart and I have full belief, firm faith They must help you. Understand? Yes. They must help you. They will give you intelligence to know the person who is a bona fide Guru, you understand, Krsna will help you, definitely, Mahaprabhu will help you, Prabhupada must help you, he is so kind, you understand?

This is sastric injunction and it is practical, it’s quite practical. It is never concocted or theoretical speaking. I am not speaking theoretically, it’s practical. This is my practical experience. This is my practical experience how I could get my spiritual master. This is my practical experience, you see. So be serious and do not follow like the flock of sheep.