View source for If you at all interested in the understanding of spiritual subject matter, then you must approach a bona fide spiritual master. Tad vijnanartham sa gurum evabhigacchet. Abhigacchet means must. It is not that if you like, you can go

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{{terms|"If you at all interested in the understanding of spiritual subject matter, then you must approach a bona fide spiritual master. Tad vijnanartham sa gurum evabhigacchet. Abhigacchet means must. It is not that if you like, you can go"}}
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<div id="Lectures" class="section" sec_index="4" parent="compilation" text="Lectures"><h2>Lectures</h2>
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<div id="Bhagavad-gita_As_It_Is_Lectures" class="sub_section" sec_index="0" parent="Lectures" text="Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures"><h3>Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures</h3>
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<div id="LectureonBG13812BombayOctober21973_0" class="quote" parent="Bhagavad-gita_As_It_Is_Lectures" book="Lec" index="358" link="Lecture on BG 13.8-12 -- Bombay, October 2, 1973" link_text="Lecture on BG 13.8-12 -- Bombay, October 2, 1973">
<div class="heading">If you at all interested in the understanding of spiritual subject matter, then you must approach a bona fide spiritual master. Tad vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum evābhigacchet. Abhigacchet means must. It is not that if you like, you can go; if you do not like, you do not. No, you must.
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<span class="link">[[Vanisource:Lecture on BG 13.8-12 -- Bombay, October 2, 1973|Lecture on BG 13.8-12 -- Bombay, October 2, 1973]]: </span><div class="text"><p style="display: inline;">Prabhupāda: Jñāne prayāsam udapasya namanta eva san-mukhāritaṁ bhavadīya-vartam. This is the statement of Brahmā, that one should give up the nonsense process of mental speculation, "God may be like this; God may be like that." No. God is not manufactured by your mental speculation. God is God always, Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa is God from the childhood. When He was three months old He demonstrated His godly powers. He immediately killed Sakaṭāsura. He immediately killed Putanā. So He did not become God by meditation, manufactured in some mystic factory. God is God. God is always God. Even when He is child, when He is young man, when He is a boy. Kṛṣṇa, when He was a boy of seven years old, He lifted the Govardhana Hill. That is God. Not that "Here is a man. By mystic power He has become God." No. That God is different God. Real God is always God.</p>
<p>So akiñcana-gocara. That real God can be realized by a person who is humble and meek. Amānitvam adambhitvam. Go on. "Kṛṣṇa consciousness. The other nineteen items automatically develop." Yasyāsti bhaktir-bhagavaty akiñcanāḥ sarvair guṇair tatra samāsate surāḥ. Automatically. Yasmin vijñāte sarvam etaṁ vijñātaṁ bhavanti. This is the Vedic assertion. If you simply understand one, that Kṛṣṇa, then you understand everything. Just like in Bhagavad-gītā. If you try to understand Kṛṣṇa, you get all the knowledge—material, spiritual, everything. Practically. Yasmin vijñāte sarvam idaṁ vijñātaṁ bhavanti. Go on.</p>
<p>Pradyumna: "The principle of accepting a spiritual master, as mentioned in the seventh verse, is essential."</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: Yes. That knowledge has to be acquired. Ācāryopāsanam. Here it is said. You have to worship ācārya. Ācāryavān puruṣo veda. One who has accepted... Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura has also said, āśraya loiyā bhaje kṛṣṇa tāre nāhi tyaje āra saba more akaraṇa. Āśraya. You have to take shelter. Evaṁ paramparā prāptam imaṁ rājarṣayo viduḥ ([[Vanisource:BG 4.2|BG 4.2]]).</p>
<p>And Arjuna also said, śiṣyas te 'haṁ śādhi māṁ prapannam ([[Vanisource:BG 2.7|BG 2.7]]). Śiṣyas te... Ācārya, ācāryopāsanam. Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna, two friends. There was no need of accepting Kṛṣṇa as Arjuna's spiritual master. Still, he is accepting officially. Śiṣyas te 'haṁ śādhi māṁ prapannam: "I am accepting You as my spiritual master. Please teach me." So this is essential. Ācāryopāsanam.</p>
<p>Tad-vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum evābhigacchet (MU 1.2.12). This is Vedic instruction. If you at all interested in the understanding of spiritual subject matter, then you must approach a bona fide spiritual master. Tad vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum evābhigacchet. Abhigacchet means must. It is not that if you like, you can go; if you do not like, you do not. No, you must. Abhigacchet. Samit-pāṇi śrotrīyaṁ brahma-niṣṭam. Tasmād guruṁ prapadyeta jijṇāsuḥ śreya uttamam ([[Vanisource:SB 11.3.21|SB 11.3.21]]). It is not a fashion to accept one guru. If you are actually interested, śreya uttamam, the highest perfection of life—tasmād guruṁ prapadyeta—then you have to accept a guru. This is called ācāryopāsanam.</p>
<p>Even Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, He accepted Sāndīpani Muni as teacher, master. Caitanya Mahāprabhu, He is also incarnation of Kṛṣṇa, but He accepted Īśvara Purī as His guru. They do not require guru, but just to keep pace with the official program, even God personally, He accepted spiritual master. So this is essential. Ācāryopāsanam.</p>
<p>To become humble, meek, ahiṁsā, non-violence, śānti, tolerance. In this way you have to make progress. The other items will be described by and by. We have to... Yes. Tomorrow we shall describe. Thank you very much. Hare Kṛṣṇa. (end)</p>
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