Perfect representative

Expressions researched:
"perfect representative" |"representative is also perfect"

SB Canto 4

Dear lord, you are situated in your pure existential position of goodness; therefore you are the perfect representative of the Supreme Lord.

SB 4.21.52, Translation: Dear lord, you are situated in your pure existential position of goodness; therefore you are the perfect representative of the Supreme Lord. You are glorified by your own prowess, and thus you are maintaining the entire world by introducing brahminical culture and protecting everyone in your line of duty as a kñatriya.

SB Canto 5

Hiraṇyakaśipu was the perfect representative of materialistic life.

SB 5.18.8, Purport: "One should render transcendental loving service to the Supreme Lord Kṛṣṇa favorably and without desire for material profit or gain through fruitive activities or philosophical speculation. That is called pure devotional service." Unless one is completely freed of all material desires, which are caused by the dense darkness of ignorance, one cannot fully engage in the devotional service of the Lord. Therefore we should always offer our prayers to Lord Nṛsiṁhadeva, who killed Hiraṇyakaśipu, the personification of material desire. Hiraṇya means "gold," and kaśipu means "a soft cushion or bed." Materialistic persons always desire to make the body comfortable, and for this they require huge amounts of gold. Thus Hiraṇyakaśipu was the perfect representative of materialistic life. He was therefore the cause of great disturbance to the topmost devotee, Prahlāda Mahārāja, until Lord Nṛsiṁhadeva killed him. Any devotee aspiring to be free of material desires should offer his respectful prayers to Nṛsiṁhadeva as Prahlāda Mahārāja did in this verse.

Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures

Suppose a business firm's representative is going to canvass for business, what is his business? He will take the interest of the firm, not his personal interest. He will try to secure business for the firm he's working, not for his personal... That is perfect representative. And if he goes, in the name of the firm's representative, and he does his own business, then he's a liar.

Lecture on BG 7.1 -- Ahmedabad, December 13, 1972: "This yoga system should be executed directly under My direction, or under the direction of a representative of Mine." The spiritual master is the representative of Kṛṣṇa. How he becomes representative? What is the test? The test is... Just like anyone can understand, representative. Suppose a business firm's representative is going to canvass for business, what is his business? He will take the interest of the firm, not his personal interest. He will try to secure business for the firm he's working, not for his personal... That is perfect representative. And if he goes, in the name of the firm's representative, and he does his own business, then he's a liar. Similarly, Kṛṣṇa's representative means one who speaks about Kṛṣṇa as Kṛṣṇa speaks. And if he adulterates, he's a liar. He's not representative. He's not representative. Kṛṣṇa says, man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru [Bg. 18.65], and if the representative says, "Just become a devotee of Kṛṣṇa. Just worship Kṛṣṇa. Just offer your obeisances to Kṛṣṇa," he is representative. Kṛṣṇa says, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja [Bg. 18.66], and the representative will say that "You give up all other process. You simply surrender to Kṛṣṇa." He will never say that "I am Kṛṣṇa." He'll never say. He's not representative of Kṛṣṇa. He's a liar. He's not representative. So to become representative of Kṛṣṇa is not very difficult. Simply one has to become very sincere. That's all. That whatever Kṛṣṇa says, he will say. Just like Arjuna accepted: sarvam etad ṛtaṁ manye yad vadasi keśava [Bg. 10.14]. That is representative. "My dear Keśava, Kṛṣṇa, whatever You are speaking, I accept them all, in toto, without any reformation." That is representative of Kṛṣṇa.

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

Guru must be perfect representative of Kṛṣṇa.

Lecture on SB 1.2.6 -- London, July 23, 1973: Ordinary question, answers. In this way, questions and answer, questions and answer were going on. But at last, when by such questions and answers, friendly talk, nothing was solved, then Arjuna said, śiṣyas te haṁ śādhi māṁ prapannam: [Bg. 2.7] "My dear Kṛṣṇa, in this way the problem will not be solved. I am becoming Your disciple. I am not talking anymore as friend." Śiṣyas te 'ham: "I become Your disciple." Because you cannot argue with guru. That is praṇipāta. Therefore we must have a guru where exact knowledge is coming, without any mistake. Because we cannot argue. So we must find out such guru, where perfect knowledge is coming. Just like... Therefore guru is... Ācāryaṁ māṁ vijānīyāt. Guru must be perfect representative of Kṛṣṇa. So ācāryaṁ māṁ vijānīyān nāvamanyeta karhicit: [SB 11.17.27] "Do not neglect the ācārya." Na martya-buddhyā: "Don't consider him as ordinary human being." Asūyeta. If he sometimes chastises you, don't be envious: "Oh he is also man, I am also man. Why he is talking like that?" No. Nāsūyeta martya-buddhyā. These are the instructions. This is called praṇipāta. So Arjuna accepted this process, śiṣyas te 'haṁ śādhi māṁ prapannam: "My dear Kṛṣṇa, now, from this moment, I am Your śiṣya. I am Your śiṣya. I become Your disciple. Now You teach me." The Bhagavad-gītā was taught to Arjuna, because he became a śiṣya.

Kṛṣṇa may be perfect, one may admit, but how his bona fide representative is also perfect? So the answer is the bona fide representative of Kṛṣṇa, he does not say anything beyond Kṛṣṇa. That is perfect. He may be imperfect. It doesn't matter. But he is receiving knowledge from the perfect, and he's simply repeating that knowledge.

Lecture on SB 1.5.22 -- Vrndavana, August 3, 1974: That they cannot say. This is their position. They'll say, "In future..." Future, there is no question. You do not know now. Admit this. So this is their position. Therefore this experimental knowledge is always imperfect. Always imperfect. It cannot be perfect. Because our experience, our power of perception, advancement of knowledge, they are imperfect. They are deficiency. Therefore, for perfect knowledge, you have to approach the perfect. We accept Lord Kṛṣṇa as the perfect, and His bona fide representative is also perfect. How he is perfect? Kṛṣṇa may be perfect, one may admit, but how his bona fide representative is also perfect? So the answer is the bona fide representative of Kṛṣṇa, he does not say anything beyond Kṛṣṇa. That is perfect. He may be imperfect. It doesn't matter. But he is receiving knowledge from the perfect, and he's simply repeating that knowledge.

He should be so perfect representative. If the king is real representative of God, then simply by pleasing the king, you please the almighty father, God.

Lecture on SB 1.15.38 -- Los Angeles, December 16, 1973: So the king or the emperor, is representative of Kṛṣṇa. Therefore he is so honored, naradeva. The king's another name is naradeva, "God in, as a human being." "God as human being," the king is so respected. Because he is representative of Kṛṣṇa. Any representative of Kṛṣṇa... Just (as) king... Not the present king or president, but this is the ideal. So he should be so perfect representative that... It is said by Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura, yasya prasādād bhagavat-prasādaḥ **. If the king is real representative of God, then simply by pleasing the king, you please the almighty father, God. This was the... So why Kṛṣṇa wanted this Battle of Kurukṣetra to install Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira on the throne? Because he knew that "He is My right representative, not Duryodhana. Therefore there must be fight, and this Duryodhana and company should be finished, and Yudhiṣṭhira should be installed."

Kṛṣṇa says, māṁ vijānīyāt: "he is Myself. I am. Because he is My perfect representative—he won't speak anything nonsense; he will speak something or everything which he has heard from Me—therefore he is ācārya."

Lecture on SB 3.26.32 -- Bombay, January 9, 1975: "You must go to guru." And who is guru? This paramparā system. Evaṁ paramparā-prāptam imaṁ rājarṣayo viduḥ [Bg. 4.2]. So this is the process. If you want perfect knowledge, you must approach guru. And who is guru? Guru means the representative of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Ācāryaṁ māṁ vijānīyān nāvamanyeta karhicit [SB 11.17.27]. "Ācārya," Kṛṣṇa says, māṁ vijānīyāt: "he is Myself. I am. Because he is My perfect representative—he won't speak anything nonsense; he will speak something or everything which he has heard from Me—therefore he is ācārya." Ācārya means one who knows the śāstra and practically uses in his life, and the same thing, he teaches to his disciple. That is called ācārya. Ācārya is not a self-made man. No. Ācārya means ācinoti yaḥ śāstrāṇi. One who understand the śāstra, the Vedic śāstra, and practices in life and teaches the same thing to his student—that is called ācārya. So ācāryaṁ māṁ vijānīyān nāvamanyeta karhicit, na asūyeta martya-buddhyā [SB 11.17.27]. So ācārya should not be considered as ordinary man, because he is representative of Kṛṣṇa.