Page 36 - Sri Canakya Niti

1.4 Śrī Cāṇakya-nīti

Lord Indra the king of Svarga, after he defeated an army of demons
in battle. The rarity of śāstric lessons should be appreciated. Indra
had to emerge victorious from a terrible war to receive this fruit of
knowledge which today is freely available thanks to the pioneering
efforts of Śrīla Prabhupāda.
The transmission of knowledge from a genuine spiritual master to
a proper student is illustrated with the following comparison: If
a husband is potent and his wife is fertile, then if there is coition,
there will be a pregnancy. Similarly, transmission of knowledge
is not the sole responsibility of the guru. As Cāṇakya Paṇḍita will
demonstrate, a disciple must qualify himself through faithful service
to his guru mahārāja. Only then will Śrī Guru permit the transmission
of knowledge.

The Manu-saṁhitā advises:
A spiritual master should not wholesale his knowledge unasked, nor
even convey his learning to those who ask improperly. It is better to
remain as a dumb man and die with his knowledge than for a sage to
sow seeds in a saline field. (MS 2.110–113)

Today it has become fashionable for many celebrities to keep some
self-appointed New Age guru around like a trained, well-groomed
dog. Cāṇakya Paṇḍita illustrates why such sycophantic relationships
are unproductive. He who wants to be cheated will obtain his desire
when an imposter guru arrives at his door. Was not Rāvaṇa clad in
the saffron dress of a sādhu when he abducted Sītā? Unless both the
disciple and guru are genuine, any pretense of following dharma will
be a farce.

Regarding association with the wretched, Bhartṛhari states in his Nīti-
śataka:

A man is like a drop of water. On a stove, the water evaporates.
Sitting upon the lotus leaf, it glistens in the sun. But if a drop

of water enters an oyster under the influence of the Svātī star, it
becomes a pearl. (NS 66)
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