Śrī Śrī Prema-Bhakti-Candrikā, verse 4

guru mukha padma vākya, hṛdi kori mahā śakya
āra nā koriho mane āśā
śrī guru caraṇe rati, ei se uttama gati,
ye prasāde pūre sarva āśā (4)

“The words that emanate from Guru’s lotus mouth give the heart sufficient strength to attain Kṛṣṇa. Do not covet anything else. Attachment to Śrī Guru’s lotus feet is the supreme goal and by his grace all desires are fulfilled”

 

Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartīpāda’s ṭīkā: vākya — kṛṣṇabhakti premarasa tattvopadeśa rūpa vākyam. mahāśakya — śrī kṛṣṇa prāpaṇa-śakti yogyam. uttama gati — uttamā cāsau gatiś ceti uttama gatiḥ. yad vā uttama gati – prāpya vastūnāṁ śreṣṭham; śrī rādhā prāṇa bandhoś caraṇa kamalayoḥ samvāhanādi rūpā prema sevā. ye prasāde pūre sarva āśā—śrī vṛndāvane maṇi nikuñja mandire śrī rādhā-kṛṣṇa-caraṇayoś cāmara vyajana pāda samvāhanādi rūpā āśā yasya prasādena pūrṇā syāt.

The weight of Śrī Guru’s words 

Sudhā-kaṇikā vyākhyā by Śrīmat Ananta Dāsa Bābājī —

After taking shelter at the lotus feet of the bonafide Guru, who knows the truth about Śrī Kṛṣṇa, meaning after taking initiation in mantras from him, Śrī Gurudeva will instruct the student in sādhana bhajana and teach Him the truths on Śrī Kṛṣṇa, prema, and rasa. Just as the words that emanate from the divine mouth of Śrī Gurudeva are honey-sweet and are like elixir for the ears and the heart, similarly they are very powerful on the path of bhajana. In this tripadī Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya first indicates that by saying: guru mukha padma vākya, hṛdi kori mahāśakya, āra nā koriho mane āśā —

Just as the words that emanate from the lotusmouth of Śrī Gurudeva, who is the embodiment of bhagavad bhakti rasa, are sweet and relishable as honey, similarly they are filled with intoxicating flavours of devotion. Nothing can compare with the instructions Śrī Gurudeva, whose heart, melting with compassion and affection towards his students, extends. The disciple carries the very powerful words, words about the flavours of devotion to Śrī Kṛṣṇa, that are powerful enough to make one attain the Lord, of Śrī Gurudeva, who is the embodiment of pure devotional service to God, and gives up all other aspirations than this. The purport of this is that when He sees the wretched situation of the human beings that are bound by māyā, the heart of the merciful Lord melts and He wishes to to bless them by making them relish the sweet flavours of His ecstatic worship. Then from the samaṣṭi guru form of the Lord (the Lord’s form as the aggregate of all Gurus), the power to become Guru (gurutva śakti) manifests in a great soul, or vyaṣṭi guru (individual Guru), who is accomplished in devotion. He is qualified to take up the post of bonafide Guru. The instructive words of such a Śrī Guru, who is the embodiment of the Lord’s deep compassion (kāruṇya ghana vigraha) are endowed with such great power, that there is no more room for doubts. Hence Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya says: “Those who are yearning to attain Śrī Kṛṣṇa, keep these powerful words of Śrī Guru within the heart and renounce all other aspirations.”
Now the question may be— “If the instructions given by Śrī Gurudeva are not favorable to the teachings of the scriptures and the great souls, should the sādhaka still establish such faith in them?” To that it is answered— “The bonafide Guru can never give instructions that are unfavorable to the saints and the scriptures. If a Guru does give rejectable instructions, that contravene with the teachings of the scriptures and the saints to a disciple, the bonafide disciple does not accept them, but at the same time does not dishonour Śrī Guru in any way. He will discard such an instruction, taking himself to be unqualified to understand its purport. Hence Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya says in the upcoming tripadī nr.22 — sādhu śāstra guru vākya, hṛdaye koriyā aikya, satata bhāsibo prema mājhe — “I unite the words of the saints, the scriptures and the Guru within my heart, and thus I will constantly float in prema.”
After that Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya says: śrī guru caraṇe rati, ei se uttama gati, ye prasāde pūre sarva āśā — “Those who hold the instructions of Śrī Guru on the principles of Śrī Kṛṣṇa, devotion to Him, love for Him and His taste, in the heart and love Śrī Guru’s lotus feet will easily be blessed with attaining the greatest treasures in the kingdom of prema, namely the paramount sorts of loving devotional service, like massaging the lotus feet of Śrī Rādhā’s heart’s friend (Śrī Kṛṣṇa), on the strength of their unalloyed devotion to Śrī Guru’s lotus feet. Now when rati awakens for the lotus feet of Śrī Guru’s lotus feet, that is, if the sādhaka’s heart is colored by the dye of unalloyed devotion for Śrī Gurudeva’s lotus feet, or if the heart of the sādhaka becomes filled with feelings for Śrī Guru, who is the embodiment of bhajana, he will easily attain the supreme goal.

One may ask at this point: The Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇavas say that the supreme goal is the loving service of Śrī-Śrī Rādhā-Mādhava, but why has it been said here then that the supreme goal is love for the lotus feet of Śrī Guru, śrī guru caraṇe rati, ei se uttama gati? The purport of this is that the sādhaka who is lovingly attached to the lotus feet of Śrī Guru will most certainly attain the supreme goal of Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa’s nikuñja sevā, and hence the love for the lotus feet of Śrī Guru – the cause – and the attainment of the Lord – the result -has been used in a non-different way. Just as it is said āyur ghṛtam iti, “ghee equals life span”, but at the same time ghee is not the same thing as lifespan, it is simply that eating ghee increases one’s lifespan, then certainly ‘ghee’ equals ‘life span’ since it is certain that eating ghee increases one’s lifespan.

Hence Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya shows that love for Śrī Guru’s feet and the ultimate goal are one and the same and that love for Śrī Guru’s feet is the only supreme means and goal.

The gist of it all is that wherever there is loving devotion for Śrī Guru’s feet, there the supreme goal is also present in an unalloyed way.

ye prasāde pūre sarva āśā means that when Śrī Gurudeva is pleased all the aspirations of the sādhaka, such as fanning Śrī-Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa with a yaktail fan in Śrī Vṛndāvana’s jewelled temple, massaging Their lotus feet or rendering other loving services, are fulfilled.

‘ye sab āśā’ or the constant hankering for Śrī Rādhā-Mādhava’s loving service that the sādhaka cherishes within his heart, is fulfilled by Śrī Gurudeva’s grace.

An example of such aspirations is given by the blessed author Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya in his Prārthanā-pada—

kusumita vṛndāvane, nācata śikhigaṇe
pika kula bhramara jhaṅkāre
priya sahacarī saṅge, gāiyā jāibe raṅge
manohara nikuñja kuṭīre

“The peacocks dance in flowery Vṛndāvana, the cuckoos sing and the bees buzz. Blissfully singing with His sweethearts, Kṛṣṇa moves into the enchanting grove cottage.”

hari hari manoratha phalibe āmāre?
duhuka manthara gati, kautuke herabo ati,
aṅge bhori pulaka antare

“Hari Hari! When will my desires be fulfilled? When will I have great fun in seeing Their slow paces and thus get goosebumps of ecstasy all over my body?”

caudike sakhīra mājhe, rādhikāra iṅgite,
ciruṇī loiyā kore kori
kuṭila kuntala sab, vithāriyā āṅca-rab,
bonāibo vicitra kabarī

“While we are surrounded by sakhīs Rādhikā gives me an indication to take a comb into my hand. I will then comb all of Kṛṣṇa’s curly locks and make a wonderful braid of it.”

mṛgamada malayaja, sab aṅge lepabo,
porāibo manohara hāra
candana kuṅkume, tilaka bonāibo,
herabo mukha sudhākara

“I will anoint Their entire bodies with musk and sandal and hang a captivating necklace around Their necks. I will design a tilaka of sandal and vermilion and behold Their moonlike faces.”
nīla paṭṭāmbara, jatane porāibo,
pāye dibo ratana mañjīre
bhṛṅgārera jale rāṅgā, caraṇa dhowāibo
muchāibo āpana cikure

“Carefully I dress them in blue garments and place jewelled anklebells on Their feet. I will wash Their reddish lotus feet with water from a pitcher and wipe them with my own hair.”

kusuma kamala dale, śeja bichāibo,
śayana korābo doṅhākāre
dhavala cāmara āni, mṛdu mṛdu bījabo,
charamita duhuka śarīre

“I will make a bed of lotus petals and make Them recline on it. Then I will bring a white yaktail fan and softly fan Them, thus soothing Their exhausted bodies.”

kanaka sampuṭa kori, karpūra tāmbūla bhori,
jogāibo doṅhāra vadane
adhara sudhārase, tāmbūla suvāse,
bhokhabo adhika jatane

“I will fill a golden box with camphor-laced betelleaves and places these leaves at Their lips. Then I will relish the nectar-juice from Their lips, flavoured by betelleaves, with extra attention.”
śrī guru karuṇā sindhu, lokanātha dīna bandhu,
mui dine koro avadhāna
rādhā-kṛṣṇa vṛndāvana, priya narma sakhīgaṇa,
narottama māge ei dāna

“O Lokanātha, my guru! You are an ocean of mercy and the friend of the fallen! Please hear me — Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa, Vṛndāvana, the priya narma sakhīs — this is the gift Narottama asks for!”