Fourteen Worlds
FOURTEEN WORLDSVedic Cosmology

SB 11.17.29

Devanāgarī

शुश्रूषमाण आचार्यं सदोपासीत नीचवत् । यानशय्यासनस्थानैर्नातिदूरे कृताञ्जलि: ॥ २९ ॥

Text

śuśrūṣamāṇa ācāryaṁ sadopāsīta nīca-vat yāna-śayyāsana-sthānair nāti-dūre kṛtāñjaliḥ

Synonyms

śuśrūṣamāṇaḥ—engaged in serving;ācāryam—the bona fide spiritual master;sadā—always;upāsīta—one should worship;nīca-vat—as a humble servant;yāna—by humbly following behind theguruwhen he is walking;śayyā—by taking rest with the spiritual master;āsana—sitting near theguruto render service;sthānaiḥ—by standing and humbly waiting upon theguru;na—not;ati—very;dūre—far away;kṛta-añjaliḥ—with folded hands.

Translation

While engaged in serving the spiritual master one should remain as a humble servant, and thus when the guru is walking the servant should humbly walk behind. When the guru lies down to sleep, the servant should also lie down nearby, and when the guru has awakened, the servant should sit near him, massaging his lotus feet and rendering other, similar services. When the guru is sitting down on his āsana, the servant should stand nearby with folded hands, awaiting the guru’s order. In this way one should always worship the spiritual master.

← SB 11.17.28Chapter 17SB 11.17.30