We should remember the spiritual master at all times of the day, that is why the beginning of the song Sri Gurvastakam is saying,
yasya prasadad bhagavat-prasado
yasyaprasadan na gatih kuto ‘pi
dhyayan stuvams tasya yashas trisandhyam
vande guroh sri-charanaravindam
“By the mercy of the spiritual master one receives the benediction of Krishna. Without the grace of the spiritual master, one cannot make any advancement. Therefore, I should always remember and praise the spiritual master. At least three times a day I should offer my respectful obeisances unto the lotus feet of my spiritual master.”
So, if you remember the spiritual master then you are actually doing something right, you are doing some seva
Srila Govinda Maharaj speaks on Gaurapurnima
and if by doing that you are pleasing the spiritual master you are insuring your success, and if you are not pleasing the spiritual master then something is drastically wrong. If you cant please the spiritual master then who will you offer your service to?
Is like that saying if you remember Mahaprabhu then the most difficult task becomes easy, but if you forget Mahaprabhu everything will be difficult, even what was ordinarily simple will become difficult. And that is why sometimes we had this discussion viddhi margha or raga margha. But what are the principles? We are engaged in some principles in the temple and we are following this principles such as in the temple room you are not supposed to turn your back to the deities and everyone can understand that, we are not going to do gestures which would be unpleasing to the deities. For everything that we are going to do there are many injunctions in the shastras and we are trying to follow that. You could say that is going in the line of saranagati– accepting what is favorable for the service of the Lord. But what is the point of all these positive injunctions? They are all made so you will always remember the Lord. That is positive. What is positive is always remembering the Lord and what is negative, principles like don’t do this or don’t do that, is so you wont forget the Lord. Because if you do what is negative that will cause you to forget the Lord. And in that sense, who is there that does not want to follow the principles that will help him always remember his Lord. And who is there that does not want to engage in activities that will cause them not to forget the Lord?
Sri Chaitanyadev
We are still following those principles of sadhana bhakti. And the outlook, the objective is to come to the lotus feet of Mahaprabhu and worship Sri Sri Radha and Krishna, and it says very clearly in the shastras that that can’t be done through just vidhi margha so we are understanding that. It is said that when one receives the seed of devotion from Gurudev one plants it in his own heart and waters it by the chanting of the Holy Name and that creeper of devotional service grows. And with such mood, and with such remembrance in our hearts we try to serve our spiritual master.