(Click to enlarge photo of Srila Prabhupada)
"Actually there is no difference between hearing directly from Krishna and hearing directly from Krishna via a bona fide spiritual master like Vyasa. The spiritual master is the representative of Vyasadeva also. Therefore, according to the Vedic system, on the birthday of the spiritual master the disciples conduct the ceremony called Vyasa-puja."
(Bhagavad-gita As It Is 18.75, Purport)
"We have got debts to so many people. First debt is to the demigods. Just like the sun-god, moon-god, they are supplying heat, light. The Varuṇa. In this material world we have got so many debts. But people do not care for it. Just like we are receiving light from sun, but what we are paying to the sun? Therefore we remain debtor. This is Vedic idea. You are getting this electricity. If you don't pay the bill, how long you will be able to use it? After some days the connection will be cut off. But although we do not pay any bill to the sunlight, because it is the order of Krishna, it is giving us light. But how long it will go on? This is sinful. If you take something from a person and if you do not repay, that is sinful. Rna. It is called rna.
So there are so many debts. First to the demigod, then to the rsis, saintly persons. Because we get knowledge, Vedic knowledge, from the rsi, we must be debtor. Guru-rna: debtor to the spiritual master, to the sages, to the saintly persons, because we are getting knowledge from them. Therefore the Vyasa-puja is there. Once in a year the disciples are worshiping the spiritual master and trying to repay that he has received from the spiritual master."
(Srila Prabhupada Lecture, Los Angeles, July 11, 1974)
"Krishna instructed Brahma. Brahma instructed Narada. Narada instructed Vyasadeva. Vyasadeva instructed Sukadeva. In this way our guru-parampara system. Therefore we worship the guru as Vyasa-puja because representative of Vyasa. And who is Vyasa? Representative of Narada. What is Narada? Representative of Brahma. What is Brahma? Representative of Krishna. This is called parampara system."
(Srila Prabhupada Lecture, Mayapur, March 13, 1976)
"Yasya deve para bhaktir yatha deve tatha gurau (SU 6.23). This is the process, Vedic process. One should have unflinching faith in God and spiritual master. Don't jump over God, crossing the spiritual master. Then it will be failure. You must go through. We are observing Vyasa-puja ceremony, the birth anniversary of our Guru Maharaja. Why? We cannot understand Krishna without spiritual master. That is bogus. If anyone wants to understand Krishna, jumping over the spiritual master, then immediately he becomes a bogus. Therefore Caitanya Mahaprabhu says, guru-krsna-krpaya paya bhakti-lata-bija (CC Madhya 19.151). That is Vedic injunction.
Tad viddhi pranipatena pariprasnena sevaya (BG 4.34). Nobody can understand Krishna without going through His most confidential servant. This is the meaning of this Vyasa-puja. You cannot surpass. If you think that you have become very learned and very advanced, now you can avoid the spiritual master and you understand Krishna, that is the bogus. That is the meaning of this Vyasa-puja ceremony. We should always pray, yasya prasadad bhagavat-prasadah (Gurv-astaka 8). Yasya prasadad: only by the grace of spiritual master we can achieve the grace or mercy of Krishna. This is the meaning of this Vyasa-puja, offering obeisances by parampara system."
(Srila Prabhupada Lecture, Atlanta, March 2, 1975)
"So guru is the representative of God. Therefore the sastra says, the authority says, saksad-dharitvena samasta-sastrair (Gurv-astaka 7). Guru is as good as God. Here, in this Vyasa-puja day, we are teaching, or they are doing, offering respect to guru. That means they are learning how to offer respect to God. It is not personal affair; it is required. Because they are trying to be God conscious, they must learn how to offer respect to God or God's representative. That is required. Saksad-dharitvena samasta-sastrair. In all the sastra, Vedic literature, guru is described as good as God. But guru will never say that 'I am God.' The disciple's duty is to offer respect to guru as he offers respect to God. But guru will never say that 'I am... Because my disciples are offering me respect as God, therefore I have become God.' As soon as he thinks so, he becomes dog.
This is the process, Vedic process, to receive the transcendental knowledge through the parampara system, and the reception or honor given to the spiritual master, it goes to Krishna. Spiritual master is the official collector. Just like in government there is collector. He receives the money, taxes, from the citizens, not for his personal use but for the government. Similarly, this is the Vedic system, to receive knowledge through the transparent medium, guru, and to receive... Guru means the honor goes to Krishna. So this is necessary. This is not an artificial thing, but spiritually it is necessary. Therefore we hold Vyasa-puja day."
(Srila Prabhupada Lecture, Los Angeles, July 8, 1974)
"Vyasa means guru, because he is our original guru. When spiritual master's birthday is observed, it is called Vyasa-puja. This Vyasa-puja means a spiritual master is representative of Vyasa. Just like we are teaching this bhagavat-dharma, the Srimad-Bhagavatam, we are following the footsteps of Vyasadeva. So actually the preacher's seat is Vyasadeva's asana. It is the seat of Vyasa. Just like in the high court the seat, the seat of judgment, or... what is called? That seat, nobody else can sit there, in that seat. Only the high-court judge, representative of king or giving law to the citizens, he can sit down. Similarly, the vyasasana is occupied by the representative of Vyasadeva, who can speak on behalf of Vyasadeva. This is the system."
(Srila Prabhupada Lecture, London, August 23, 1971)
"Guru is respected as good as God. Why? Only for this qualification, that he does not speak anything nonsense. He speaks only what he has heard from the acarya. Acaryavan puruso veda (Chandogya Upanisad 6.14.2). Acaryopasanam. In the Bhagavad-gita it is said Acaryopasanam. So Vyasadeva is our acarya; therefore we offer vyasa-puja. On the birthday of guru we offer vyasa-puja. Actually, it is not directly Vyasa, but because the bona fide guru represents Vyasadeva, his puja is also vyasa-puja. Mad-bhakta-puja abhyadhika. To worship Vyasadeva, worship the bona fide spiritual master and worship the Lord, they are the same. Rather, Krishna says that if you worship His bona fide representative, that worship is better than directly worshiping. Directly it is not possible to worship the Supreme Lord. One has to go through the acarya. Therefore Vyasadeva is the original acarya. Lokasyajanato vidvams cakre satvata... (SB 1.7.6). He's vidvan (supremely learned). So we have explained many times how to become vidvan. Vidvan does not mean one has to become a big grammarian, logician. No. Vidvan means one who follows the previous acarya who is representative of Krishna. He is vidvan."
(Srila Prabhupada Lecture, Vrindavan, September 4, 1976)
"Evam parampara praptam imam rajarsayo viduh (BG 4.2). So keep this parampara system. This Vyasa-puja is parampara system. Vyasa-puja means to accept this parampara system. Vyasa. Guru is the representative of Vyasadeva because he does not change anything. What Vyasa, Vyasa-puja... What Vyasadeva said, your guru also will say the same thing. Not that 'So many hundreds of thousands of years have passed away; therefore I'll give you a new formula.' No. There is no new formula. The same Vyasa-puja, the same philosophy. Simply we have to accept it, then our life will be successful."
(Srila Prabhupada Lecture, Hyderabad, December 10, 1976)
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