Daily Devotion - Feb 11, 2026 (English)- The Greatest Secret
ācāryaṁ māṁ vijānīyāt nāvamanyeta karhicit
na martyabuddhyāsūyeta sarvadevamayo guruh (Bhagavatam 11.17.27)
We recite this shlok in our prayers.
Vedavyas composed four hundred thousand verses, counting the eighteen Puranas and the Mahabharata. Of these, eighteen thousand verses are contained in the Bhagavatam and the Bhagavatam is regarded as supreme among all the Puranas. This shlok gives the true definition of a Guru.
In the scriptures, three kinds of descriptions are found regarding God and the Guru -
- God is the greatest
na tatsamaścābhyadhikaś ca dṛśyate
There is none equal to God, nor anyone greater than Him. The very name of God is Brahm, which means "the greatest." All souls are His servants; therefore, how can a servant be equal to the Master? - The Guru is greater than God
More man prabhu as bisvāsā, Rām te adhik Rām kar dāsā
God Himself says -
madbhaktāś ca ye bhaktās te me bhaktatamā matāḥ
Those who are devotees of My devotees are the greatest among My devotees. Therefore, regard the saint as greater than Me. - The Guru and God are equal
yasya deve parā bhaktir yathā deve tathā gurau
tasyaite kathitā hy arthāḥ prakāśante mahātmanaḥ
You should render devotion to the Guru in the same manner as you render devotion to God.
tasmin tajjane bhedābhāvāt (Narad Bhakti Sutra) -
There is no difference between God and His devotee.
Jānat tumhahi tumahi hoi jāī (Tulasidas Ji)
Which of these three statements is correct? Is God greater? Is the Guru greater? Or are both equal?
The answer is that all three are correct, and there is also a fourth truth, which this verse reveals.
- Why is God the greatest?
God is omnipotent. When God bestows all His powers upon someone, that person becomes equal to God. In the world, if a millionaire donates all his wealth to someone, the giver becomes poor. This does not happen with God. Even after giving everything, God remains God, and the recipient also becomes equal to God.
God grants the devotee His eight divine qualities -
apahr̥tpāpmā vijaro vimr̥tyu: viśoko vijighatso apipāsa: satyakāma: satyasaṁkalpa:
That is, the person becomes great because God has bestowed His powers upon him. In truth, God alone is great.
Vedanta has two Brahma sutras -
i) bhogamātrasāmyaliṅgācca
God grants the devotee the same bliss in which He Himself is eternally absorbed.
But -
ii) jagadvyāpāravarjam
There is one power that God does not grant even to His devotees:
- the creation of the universe,
- the protection of the universe, and
- the dissolution of the universe.
God does not delegate these three functions to any saint. He Himself creates the universe. He then pervades the entire creation, resides within the hearts of all beings, observes the good and bad actions of all souls in the present, and grants the fruits of karmas accumulated over infinite births.
From this perspective, God is greater.
- Why are the Guru and God equal?
Both God and the devotee possess eternal bliss - the bliss of divine love - that we seek.
The devotee desires to give happiness to God, and God desires to give happiness to the devotee.
Therefore, the Vedas say: yathā deve tathā gurau - you should have the same devotional sentiments toward your Guru as you have toward God. - How did the Guru become greater than God?
This appears surprising. Whatever the Guru possesses has been received from God. Then how did the Guru become greater?
The reasons are as follows -
i) God is not visible to you.
God does not appear before you. Even if He were to appear, you would not be able to recognise Him. Your senses, mind, and intellect are material, whereas God is divine. God descended upon the earth as Ram and Krishna innumerable times. You were present during those times as well, yet you could not recognise Him. Only when the soul becomes endowed with divine senses, mind, and intellect does God reveal Himself to that soul.
ii) It is only the Guru who imparts philosophical knowledge to you.
God does not directly explain to you the nature of this world, the nature of the soul, or the nature of the mind, intellect, and body. It is the Guru alone who explains all this to you.
iii) The Guru alone removes the obstacles that arise during the stage of preparatory devotion.
For example, while doing sādhana, worldly relationships or objects may arise in your mind instead of Shri Krishna. The Guru then instructs you: wherever your mind goes, place Shyamsundar there. In this way, he gradually helps you restrain the mind, which is uncontrollable even for yogis - just as a trainer tames a monkey by slowly shortening the rope tied around its neck.
iv) When the mind becomes purified, it is only the Guru who bestows divine love.
As sādhana progresses, the mind gradually becomes purified. Through sādhana, rajas and tamas are removed. However, sattva-guṇa is also a form of vidyā-māyā. One can transcend vidyā-māyā only upon receiving divine love. Who grants divine love? God does not grant it directly. God has declared that His devotees will bestow it. This is why He sent Uddhava to the gopīs to receive divine love.
Thus, God is described as the 'companion of those whose minds are pure,' whereas the Guru is the 'one who transforms the fallen.' For this reason, you are indebted to the Guru.
In other words, the Guru alone performs the essential functions of the beginning stage (imparting tattva-gyān), the middle stage (protecting the sādhak during practice), and the final stage (bestowing divine love) of preparatory devotion. God does not perform these three functions directly. Hence, the Guru is accorded greater importance.
v) If you practice devotion exclusively to the Guru, you will receive the fruit of devotion to God. However, you cannot attain this goal by practising devotion to God alone -
So binu sant na kāhū pāī.
- The fourth point revealed in the shlok -
āchāryaṁ māṁ vijānīyāt -
This verse instructs you not to regard the Guru as inferior to God, equal to God, or superior to God. Rather, you should recognise the Guru as the very form of God. God Himself declares: "Know the Guru as Me."
nāvamanyeta karhicit -
You should never regard the Guru as an ordinary human being. Even inadvertent disrespect toward the Guru results in a grave offence known as nāmāparādh. Even if you worship God for an infinite length of time thereafter, it becomes fruitless. There is no atonement for nāmāparādh.
viṣṇu-sthāne kṛtaṁ pāpaṁ guru-sthāne pramucyate
guru-sthāne kṛtaṁ pāpaṁ vajralepo bhaviṣyati
A sin committed toward God can be forgiven by the Guru, but an offence committed toward the Guru cannot be forgiven by anyone.
When Brahmarshi Durvasa committed an offence against Kshatriya King Ambarish, even though Durvasa was God's own Guru, God sent his Sudarshan chakra after him. Only when Durvasa fell at the feet of Ambarish and wept, begging for forgiveness, was his nāmāparādh absolved.
Nāmāparādh deprives one of God-realization. Over infinite births, you have practised so much devotion that you should have attained God infinite times, yet it did not happen even once. The sole reason is nāmāparādh. In every lifetime, whenever you met a saint or God, you exercised your material intellect on them, assuming that they, too, are lustful, angry, greedy, and perform actions just like you. This very attitude constitutes nāmāparādh.
You fail to understand that the actions of God and saints are performed through yogamāyā, whereas you act under the control of māyā. Therefore, God is never bound by His actions, and those who have attained God are also not bound by karma. The injunctions of the Vedas do not apply to them.
bhāvo'pyabhāvamāyāti kṛṣṇapreṣṭhāparādhataḥ -
Even one established in bhāva-bhakti - the final stage of preparatory devotion, suffers a downfall by committing nāmāparādh.
eṣa vai bhagavān sākṣāt pradhāna puruṣeśvaraḥ
The Guru is God Himself.
yogeśvarairvimagyāṁghrirloko'yaṁ manyate naram
Ignorant and deluded people regard him as an ordinary human being because his external actions appear human.
Therefore, you should not judge a saint by external behaviour. A saint should be recognised by only two criteria:
śrotriya - one who possesses complete scriptural knowledge, and
brahmaniṣṭha - one who has love for God.
Through such a Guru, you can attain your goal.
Note the following points from the perspective of sadhana -
- God-realization automatically occurs through devotion to the Guru alone. However, you should practice devotion to both the Guru and God together, because your steadiness may falter if devotion is directed only toward the Guru. Since the Guru is visible and God is not, your material intellect may begin to waver. Even when God descends upon the earth, you find faults even in Him, using your material intellect. In the same way, you look for faults in the Guru. When you practice devotion to both together, your mind gradually becomes purified and becomes swiftly absorbed in the innumerable divine pastimes of God.
- Remember one thing - Love must be present in your heart. That alone is necessary. There must be an inner connection with God and the Guru. Merely bowing at the Guru's feet, performing ārati, or offering donations, is not sufficient. These are supportive practices. You may offer whatever you possess - that is fine - but you must offer everything to the Guru and God. But that alone will not accomplish the goal. What truly matters is the heart's attachment, the inner love. Just as a mother remembers her child in all circumstances, similarly, you should remember God and the Guru in every state, whether pure or impure.
yā dohane vahanane mathanopalepa preṁkheṁkhanārbha rudito kṣaṇamārjanādau...
The gopīs of Braj performed all their household duties, tears continuously flowing from their eyes in loving remembrance of Shyamsundar. Do not worry if you have not bathed. At every moment, say "Radhey, Radhey", shedding tears. Remember God constantly, whether you are in extreme filth or in any condition. God does not become impure due to your impurity; rather, God purifies impurity itself.
Therefore, the primary meaning of āchāryaṁ māṁ vijānīyāt is -
- Do not differentiate between God and the Guru.
- Do not regard the Guru as a mere human being.
- Do not harbour ill feelings toward him.
- Avoid nāmāparādh and practice sādhana according to the Guru's instructions.
By doing so, the soul attains its ultimate goal.
This is the intent of the shlok.
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