Qualification of an acarya

Expressions researched:
"qualification of an acarya"

CC Adi-lila

He knows that all suffering is due to the absence of devotional service to the Lord, and therefore he always tries to find ways to change people’s activities, making them favorable for the attainment of devotion. That is the qualification of an ācārya

CC Adi 3.98, Translation and Purport: Seeing the activities of the world, the Acarya felt compassion and began to ponder how He could act for the people's benefit. This sort of serious interest in the welfare of the public makes one a bona fide acarya. An acarya does not exploit his followers. Since the acarya is a confidential servitor of the Lord, his heart is always full of compassion for humanity in its suffering. He knows that all suffering is due to the absence of devotional service to the Lord, and therefore he always tries to find ways to change people's activities, making them favorable for the attainment of devotion. That is the qualification of an acarya. Although Sri Advaita Prabhu Himself was powerful enough to do the work, as a submissive servitor He thought that without the personal appearance of the Lord, no one could improve the fallen condition of society.

The real qualification of an ācārya is that he presents himself as a servant of the Supreme. Such a bona fide ācārya can never support the demoniac activities of atheistic men who present themselves as God

CC Adi 6.28, Translation and Purport: He delivered all living beings by offering the gift of krsna-bhakti. He explained the Bhagavad-gita and Srimad-Bhagavatam in the light of devotional service. Although Sri Advaita Prabhu is an incarnation of Visnu, for the welfare of the conditioned souls He manifested Himself as a servitor of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and throughout all His activities He showed Himself to be an eternal servitor. Lord Caitanya and Lord Nityananda also manifested the same principle, although They also belong to the category of Visnu. If Lord Caitanya, Lord Nityananda and Advaita Prabhu had exhibited Their all-powerful Visnu potencies within this material world, people would have become greater impersonalists, monists and self-worshipers than they had already become under the spell of this age. Therefore the Personality of Godhead and His different incarnations and forms played the parts of devotees to instruct the conditioned souls how to approach the transcendental stage of devotional service. Advaita Acarya especially intended to teach the conditioned souls about devotional service. The word acarya means "teacher." The special function of such a teacher is to make people Krsna conscious. A bona fide teacher following in the footsteps of Advaita Acarya has no other business than to spread the principles of Krsna consciousness all over the world. The real qualification of an acarya is that he presents himself as a servant of the Supreme. Such a bona fide acarya can never support the demoniac activities of atheistic men who present themselves as God. It is the main business of an acarya to defy such imposters posing as God before the innocent public.