Acarya should

Expressions researched:
"acarya should" |"acaryas should" |"paramparā-ācārya, should"

SB Canto 4

As it is said by Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura, sākṣād-dharitvena samasta-śāstraiḥ: a spiritual master, or the paramparā-ācārya, should be respected exactly like the Supreme Personality of Godhead

SB 4.22.4, Purport: So Prthu Maharaja was very respectful to the sampradaya-acaryas. As it is said by Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura, saksad-dharitvena samasta-sastraih: a spiritual master, or the parampara-acarya, should be respected exactly like the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The word vidhivat is significant in this verse. This means that Prthu Maharaja also strictly followed the injunctions of the sastra in receiving a spiritual master, or acarya, of the transcendental disciplic succession. Whenever an acarya is seen, one should immediately bow down before him. Prthu Maharaja did this properly; therefore the words used here are prasrayanata-kandharah. Out of humility, he bowed down before the Kumaras

SB Canto 6

The ācārya should always be offered respectful obeisances; one should never envy the ācārya, considering him an ordinary human being

SB 6.7.21, Purport: In a song we sing every day, Narottama dasa Thakura says, caksu-dana dila yei, janme janme prabhu sei: the guru gives spiritual insight to the disciple, and therefore the guru should be considered his master, life after life. Under no circumstances should the guru be disrespected, but the demigods, being puffed up by their material possessions, were disrespectful to their guru. Therefore Srimad-Bhagavatam (11.17.27) advises, acaryam mam vijaniyan navamanyeta karhicit/ na martya-buddhyasuyeta: the acarya should always be offered respectful obeisances; one should never envy the acarya, considering him an ordinary human being.

CC Adi-lila

CC Adi 7.37, Purport: An acarya should devise a means by which people may somehow or other come to Krsna consciousness. First they should become Krsna conscious, and all the prescribed rules and regulations may later gradually be introduced. In our Krsna consciousness movement we follow this policy of Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. For example, since boys and girls in the Western countries freely intermingle, special concessions regarding their customs and habits are necessary to bring them to Krsna consciousness. The acarya must devise a means to bring them to devotional service. Therefore, although I am a sannyasi I sometimes take part in getting boys and girls married, although in the history of sannyasa no sannyasi has personally taken part in marrying his disciples.

CC Madhya-lila

This is the way an ācārya should train his disciples. Not only should he describe the bhāgavata cult personally, but he should also train his disciples to speak on this sublime subject

CC Madhya 25.267, Tanslation and Purport: Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu broadcast the purport of Srimad-Bhagavatam. He sometimes spoke for the benefit of His devotees and sometimes empowered one of His devotees to speak while He listened. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, as an ideal teacher, or acarya, explained Srimad-Bhagavatam very elaborately Himself. He sometimes also empowered His devotees to speak while He listened. This is the way an acarya should train his disciples. Not only should he describe the bhagavata cult personally, but he should also train his disciples to speak on this sublime subject.

Krsna, The Supreme Personality of Godhead

Neither Kṛṣṇa nor His representative ācārya should be subjected to any adverse criticism by the neophyte devotees

Krsna Book, Chapter 87: Because a pure devotee follows in the footsteps of the acaryas, any action he performs to discharge devotional service should be understood to be on the transcendental platform. Lord Krsna therefore instructs us that an acarya is above criticism. A neophyte devotee should not consider himself to be on the same plane as the acarya. It should be accepted that the acaryas are on the same platform as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and as such neither Krsna nor His representative acarya should be subjected to any adverse criticism by the neophyte devotees.

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

You cannot overrule ācārya. Ācārya... Ācāryopāsanam. Ācārya should be always worshiped

Lecture on SB 1.7.44 -- Vrndavana, October 4, 1976: So anyway, this guru-mara-vidya should be avoided. That is the instruction in this verse we can get, and that is the Vedic way. It is not that Draupadi is speaking, but Caitanya Mahaprabhu is also speaking... Caitanya Mahaprabhu was very strict on this point. As soon Vallabhacarya spoke that "I have written a better comment than Sridhara Svami," immediately Caitanya Mahaprabhu become offended. He said, "Oh, you have become more than Sridhara Svami? You don't care for Svami?" So he remarked immediately, svami yei jana na mane vesyara bhitare. That is the system. You cannot overrule acarya. Acarya... Acaryopasanam. Acarya should be always worshiped. Even if you, by ABCD, you have become more learned than the acarya... That is not possible, but if you foolishly think like that, still, you should not exhibit your foolishness, that you know more than the acarya. That is Caitanya Mahaprabhu's... By His life example, He has taught us that the more we remain ignorant, foolish before the acarya, or before the guru, that is more we advance.

Ācārya should be respected as Kṛṣṇa

Lecture on SB 1.7.45-46 -- Vrndavana, October 5, 1976: So nobody can transgress the rules and regulation of sastra, and what to speak of a guru. Guru is acarya. Acinoti yah sastrani. One who knows the rules and regulation of the sastra and he teaches his disciple according to the sastra, he is called acarya. So acaryam mam vijaniyan navamanyeta karhicit [SB 11.17.27]. Acarya should be respected, as Krsna says, as good as Krsna. Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura also said, saksad-dharitvena samasta-sastrair uktas tatha bhavyata eva sadbhih **. Acarya, guru, is as good as God. Saksad-dharitvena. Acarya should be respected as Krsna. Therefore acaryam mam vijaniyan navamanyeta karhicit [SB 11.17.27]. If somebody foolishly thinks that "They are worshiping a man. He's like me, and he has taken the seat, and he's taking worship, respect, from disciples." Sometimes they question like that. But they do not know that how acarya should be respected. Acarya should be respected saksad-dharitvena, just like God. It is not exaggeration. It is according to the sastra. And acarya also accepts all these respectful obeisances to carry to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. This is the process.

Ācārya should not be considered as ordinary human being

Lecture on SB 1.7.45-46 -- Vrndavana, October 5, 1976: So, navamanyeta karhicit martya-buddhya. Acarya should not be considered as ordinary human being. Vaisnave jati-buddhir gurusu nara-matih, arcye visnau sila-dhir gurusu nara-matih. These are the injunction. Naraki. Everyone knows that here is vigraha, Gaura-Nitai vigraha, Krsna-Balarama vigraha, Radha-Krsna vigraha. Everyone knows that it was, these vigrahas were ordered from Jaipur and it is now installed. But why people are coming in thousands to see the vigraha? They do not know that it is made of stone? Everyone knows. Maybe one or two may be coming, sentiment.

So ācārya should not be considered as ordinary man, because he is representative of Kṛṣṇa

Lecture on SB 3.26.32 -- Bombay, January 9, 1975: 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. Acaryam mam vijaniyan navamanyeta karhicit [SB 11.17.27]. "Acarya," Krsna says, mam vijaniyat: "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 acarya." Acarya means one who knows the sastra and practically uses in his life, and the same thing, he teaches to his disciple. That is called acarya. Acarya is not a self-made man. No. Acarya means acinoti yah sastrani. One who understand the sastra, the Vedic sastra, and practices in life and teaches the same thing to his student -- that is called acarya. So acaryam mam vijaniyan navamanyeta karhicit, na asuyeta martya-buddhya [SB 11.17.27]. So acarya should not be considered as ordinary man, because he is representative of Krsna. Saksad-dharitvena samasta-sastraih.

Ācārya should be known as good as God

Lecture on SB 6.3.16-17 -- Gorakhpur, February 10, 1971: There is another version that Krsna says... These are stated in the Srimad-Bhagavatam while He was talking with Uddhava, Eleventh Canto. Just like Krsna had talks with Arjuna, which is known as Arjuna-gita, similarly, He had talks with Uddhava, another devotee. That is known as Uddhava-gita. So in that Uddhava-gita these statements are there, that acaryam mam vijaniyat navamanyeta karhicit: "Acarya should be known as good as God." That is confirmed in Visvanatha Cakravarti... Saksad dharitvena samasta-sastraih. He also refers to the sastra, not that he is opining by his own intellect. No. That is the speciality of learned scholars and devotees. They should immediately give evidence from the sastra. Visvanatha Cakravarti said that "Guru is as good as God by the verdict of the sastra." Saksad dharitvena samasta-sastraih. And Krsna says, acaryam mam vijaniyat: "Acarya should be known as good as Myself." Navamanyeta karhicit: "Never become disobedient to acarya." Na martya buddhyasuyeta: "Never be envious of the acarya, considering him to be an ordinary person." Navamanyeta karhicit. Sarva-deva-mayo. By worshiping acarya... And Bhagavad-gita it is said, acaryopasanam. Tad viddhi pranipatena pariprasnena sevaya [Bg. 4.34]. These things are there.

General Lectures

The Supreme Personality of Godhead says that "Ācārya should be accepted as I am"

Pandal Speech and Question Session -- Delhi, November 10, 1973: This is the offering obeisance to guru. Guru is described as respectable as the Supreme Personality of God. Acaryam mam vijaniyat [SB 11.17.27]. The Supreme Personality of Godhead says that "Acarya should be accepted as I am. And in the Bhagavad-gita it is said, acaryopasanam. Acaryopasanam. So therefore we have to receive the knowledge in the disciplic succession of acarya.

1968 Correspondence

All acaryas should be addressed as Srila. "Om Visnupad Srila

Letter to Brahmananda -- Los Angeles 23 January, 1968: The proper form of address to Bhaktivinode Thakura is Om Visnupad Srila Bhaktivinode Thakura. After my Guru Maharaja, all acaryas should be addressed as Srila. "Om Visnupad Srila.

1974 Correspondence

I think in every document my name as Founder-Acarya should be mentioned

Letter to Bali-mardana: -- Vrindaban 5 September, 1974: Regarding the International Trust Board, we are now expanding and so our interests should be carefully guarded. Certainly the 12 GBC members are being trained up strictly under my guidance so that they will protect the interest of the society very, very carefully. All our property should be well protected, and I think in every document my name as Founder-Acarya should be mentioned. Special care should be taken that no property can be sold or mortgaged by local managers as was done by Gaurasundara. This is my only concern.