Guru is described...

Expressions researched:
"guru is described"

SB Canto 5

One should approach a bona fide guru to inquire about the highest benefit of life. Such a guru is described as follows: śābde pare ca niṣṇātam. Such a guru does not manufacture gold or juggle words. He is well versed in the conclusions of Vedic knowledge.

SB 5.14.13, Purport: A guru should be accepted as advised in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (11.3.21). Tasmād guruṁ prapadyeta jijñāsuḥ śreya uttamam: One should approach a bona fide guru to inquire about the highest benefit of life. Such a guru is described as follows: śābde pare ca niṣṇātam. Such a guru does not manufacture gold or juggle words. He is well versed in the conclusions of Vedic knowledge (vedaiś ca sarvair aham eva vedyaḥ [Bg. 15.15]). He is freed from all material contamination and is fully engaged in Kṛṣṇa's service. If one is able to obtain the dust of the lotus feet of such a guru, his life becomes successful. Otherwise he is baffled both in this life and in the next.

SB Canto 8

Anyone who is supposed to be a guru but who goes against the principle of viṣṇu-bhakti cannot be accepted as guru. If one has falsely accepted such a guru, one should reject him.

SB 8.20.1, Purport: Anyone who is supposed to be a guru but who goes against the principle of viṣṇu-bhakti cannot be accepted as guru. If one has falsely accepted such a guru, one should reject him. Such a guru is described as follows (Mahābhārata, Udyoga 179.25):

guror apy avaliptasya

kāryākāryam ajānataḥ

utpatha-pratipannasya

parityāgo vidhīyate

Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī has advised that such a useless guru, a family priest acting as guru, should be given up, and that the proper, bona-fide guru should be accepted.

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

The qualification of the guru is described in the previous verse. The guru must be mahātmā and muni. Muni means thoughtful, philosopher. Not only self-realized, but by his character, by his behavior, by his understanding, he must be a mahātmā.

Lecture on SB 1.5.29 -- Vrndavana, August 10, 1974:

tasyaivaṁ me 'nuraktasya

praśritasya hatainasaḥ

śraddadhānasya bālasya

dāntasyānucarasya ca

[SB 1.5.29]

So the, the one side, the guru. Saṅkīrtyamānaṁ munibhir mahātmabhiḥ. The... This is a relationship between disciple and guru. What are the qualifications of guru? And what are the qualifications of the disciple? If both of them are qualified, then immediately the result is there. Just like husband and wife. Both of them, if they are healthy, by sex there will be pregnancy. Similarly, if the guru and the disciple, both of them are qualified, then immediately Kṛṣṇa consciousness will be there. So the qualification of the guru is described in the previous verse.

viśṛṇvato me 'nusavaṁ yaśo 'malaṁ

saṅkīrtyamānaṁ munibhir mahātmabhiḥ

The guru must be mahātmā and muni. Muni means thoughtful, philosopher. Not foolish rascal, manufacturing some philosophy. And mahātmabhiḥ. Not only self-realized, but by his character, by his behavior, by his understanding, he must be a mahātmā.

One of the symptoms of guru is described by Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura, śrī-vigraha ārādhana: "He knows how to worship the Deity." Dressing the Deity and cleansing the temple, keeping everything fit in the temple and he teaches his disciple. He is personally engaged, and he engages disciples.

Lecture on SB 3.26.4 -- Bombay, December 16, 1974: The brāhmaṇa will sit down anywhere and begin teaching others. The student will come. That is brāhmaṇa's business. Paṭhana... But unless he is himself learned, how he can teach? So therefore, first of all he must be learned, paṭhana, and then pāṭhana, then he can teach others. Paṭhana pāṭhana yajana yājana. He must worship the Supreme Lord, and he must teach others how to worship the Supreme.

That... What is this, Viśvanātha Cakravartī's verse? Niyuñjato 'pi. Śrī-vigrahārādhana-nitya-nānā **. One of the symptoms of guru is described by Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura, śrī-vigraha ārādhana: "He knows how to worship the Deity." Śrī-vigrahārādhana-nitya-nānā-śṛṅgāra-tan-mandira-mārjanādau **. Dressing the Deity and tan-mandira-mārjanādau, and cleansing the temple, keeping everything fit in the temple. So the guru knows it, how to do it, and he teaches his disciple.

śrī-vigrahārādhana-nitya-nānā-

śṛṅgāra-tan-mandira-mārjanādau

yuktasya bhaktāṁś ca niyuñjato 'pi... **

He is personally engaged, and he engages disciples. Not that you make a disciple and you keep him aside, "You cannot touch." This is going on. How? Then how he has become your disciple? If you have accepted him as disciple, how you can keep him aloof? No. "You are śūdra. You are mleccha." Therefore vaiṣṇave jāti-buddhiḥ. You cannot make Vaiṣṇava... As soon as he becomes Vaiṣṇava, no more jāti. He is transcendental. Sa guṇān sama...

The purpose of guru is described in the Bhāgavatam. Just like Arjuna, he surrendered. You must find out guru where you can surrender. Not that keep your guru your order supply.

Lecture on SB 5.5.18 -- Vrndavana, November 6, 1976: The purpose of guru is described in the Bhāgavatam, that tasmād guruṁ prapadyeta [SB 11.3.21]. Guru to go, to surrender. Just like Arjuna, he surrendered, śiṣyas te 'ham śādhi māṁ prapannam [Bg. 2.7]. Prapadye, tasmād guruṁ prapadye. You must find out guru where you can surrender. Not that keep your guru your order supply, "Give me some acid bath (?) and I may be benefited." He is not guru; he is your order supplier, your servant. Guru means he must order it, "You must do this." If we agree, then he is a guru. Not that "I shall order my guru, and he will execute my order." No that. That will do the dog, not the guru. Then the... You have got a dog, and if you ask him, "Sit down here," a dog will sit. That kind of guru keeping has no value. But here is the responsibility of guru, first that he must save the disciple from the cycle of birth and death. Kṛṣṇa also said, "What is the problem of life?" Not that "I have got some pain here, I have some trouble or some..." These are not problems. This problem one should tolerate. Because destiny is there, one should āgamāpāyino nityā tāṁs titikṣasva bhārata. We should not be disturbed for all these things. It is material world. You will have sometimes mātrā sparśās tu śītoṣṇa-sukha-duḥkha-dāḥ. The whole world is like that. There is sometimes distress, there is sometimes happiness. So to mitigate the worldly distress or getting some happiness, one should not go to guru. That is not the proper way.

Spiritual master is a servant of Kṛṣṇa. Guru is described, yasya prasādād bhagavat-prasādaḥ: "By the mercy of guru one can achieve the mercy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead." Because he is very, confidential servant of Kṛṣṇa; therefore his position is so great.

Lecture on SB 7.9.28 -- Mayapur, March 6, 1976: So Prahlāda Mahārāja is one of the mahājana, authorities. How he has gotten this authority? Here it is said, so 'haṁ kathaṁ nu visṛje tava bhṛtya-sevām. So everyone must have his position by giving service to the spiritual master. And who is spiritual master? Tava bhṛtya, who is a servant of Kṛṣṇa.

yasya prasādād bhagavat-prasādo

yasyāprasādād na gatiḥ kuto 'pi

kintu prabhor yaḥ priya eva tasya **

Guru is described, yasya prasādād bhagavat-prasādaḥ: ** "By the mercy of guru one can achieve the mercy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead." Yasya prasāda. Yasya aprasādāt: "If guru is not pleased, then he has no place." Na gatiḥ kuto 'pi.

sākṣād dharitvena samasta-śāstrair

uktas tathā bhāvyata eva sadbhiḥ

kintu prabhor yaḥ priya eva tasya **

Why the spiritual master position is so great? Because he is very, very confidential servant of Kṛṣṇa; therefore his position is so great.

General Lectures

In all the śāstra, Vedic literature, guru is described as good as God. But guru will never say that "I am God." The disciple's duty is to offer respect to guru as he offers respect to God.

Lecture What is a Guru? -- London, August 22, 1973: So guru is the representative of God. Therefore the śāstra says, the authority says, sākṣād-dharitvena samasta-śāstrair. Guru is as good as God. Here, in this Vyāsa-pūjā day, we are teaching or they are doing, offering respect to guru. That means they are learning how to offer respect to God. It is not personal affair; it is required. Because they are trying to be God conscious, they must learn how to offer respect to God or God's representative. That is required. Sākṣād-dharitvena samasta-śāstrair. In all the śāstra, Vedic literature, guru is described as good as God. But guru will never say that "I am God." The disciple's duty is to offer respect to guru as he offers respect to God. But guru will never say that "I am... Because my disciples are offering me respect as God, therefore I have become God." As soon as he thinks so, he becomes dog. He is no more God. Therefore Viśvanātha Cakravartī says... Why guru is offered respect like God? Kintu prabhor yaḥ priya eva tasya. Guru is offered the same respect as we offer respect to God. Just like in the morning. The other side, ārātrika was going on, offering to Kṛṣṇa, and this side was ārātrika was going on to offer respect to the spiritual master. The same respect. But guru will never say, and he's not that. Guru will never say, "Now I have become God." No. God does not become. God is always God. So God is God and guru is guru. But, as a matter of etiquette, God is the sevya God, worshipable God, and guru is the worshiper God. Just try to understand. Worshipable God and worshiper God.

Guru is described as respectable as the Supreme Personality of God. The Supreme Personality of Godhead says that "Ācārya should be accepted as I am." So therefore we have to receive the knowledge in the disciplic succession of ācārya.

Pandal Speech and Question Session -- Delhi, November 10, 1973: Guru should be worshiped as God, but guru will never claim that he is God. That is not guru. Guru will always claim that he is servant of God. Because the śiṣyas worship him as... Śiṣya... Guru does not say that "You simply worship me." He directs that "You worship God." But because one gets God's connection through guru, therefore guru is worshiped as God. Just like in our country there was viceroy. He was given the same respect as the king because he is representative of..., the royal representative. Similarly, śāstra says,

sākṣād dharitvena samasta-śāstrair

uktas tathā bhāvyata eva sadbhiḥ

kintu prabhor yaḥ priya eva tasya

vande guroḥ śrī-caraṇāravindam **

This is the offering obeisance to guru. Guru is described as respectable as the Supreme Personality of God. Ācāryaṁ māṁ vijānīyāt [SB 11.17.27]. The Supreme Personality of Godhead says that "Ācārya should be accepted as I am. And in the Bhagavad-gītā it is said, ācāryopāsanam. Ācāryopāsanam. So therefore we have to receive the knowledge in the disciplic succession of ācārya. That is also described in the Bhagavad-gītā: evaṁ paramparā-prāptam imaṁ rājarṣayo viduḥ [Bg. 4.2]. Rājarṣayaḥ. This knowledge, they were understood by the rājarṣi. Rājarṣi means king; at the same time, saintly person.