Leaders of the sampradayas

Expressions researched:
"leaders of the sampradayas"

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

We have to accept religious principles from the leaders of the sampradāyas. Otherwise it is useless.

Lecture on SB 6.1.34-39 -- Surat, December 19, 1970: You cannot understand the path of religion by your mental speculation. Dharmāṁ tu sākṣād bhagavat-praṇītam [SB 6.3.19]. Dharma, religious principles are enacted by the Supreme Personality of Godhead. No ordinary man can enact dharma. Therefore there is dharma-viparya. Real dharma, actual dharma, is to abide by the words of the Supreme Lord. That is dharma. Just like Kṛṣṇa says, mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ. That is dharma, simply to surrender unto Kṛṣṇa. Otherwise it is not dharma. Man-made dharma is no dharma. That is called kaitava-dharma, cheating dharma. You cannot manufacture religion. But nowadays it has become fashion. Everyone is manufacturing his own religion. Therefore there is dharma-viparya. So one should know that dharma means the laws given by God. That is dharma. And such dharma, or the path of dharma, is strictly followed by these mahājanas. Just like Brahmā, Lord Śiva, Nārada, Manu, Kapila, Kapiladeva, Kapiladeva who enunciated sāṅkhya philosophy... Svayaṁbhūr nāradaḥ śaṁbhuḥ kumāraḥ kapilo manuḥ, prahlādo bhīṣmaḥ [SB 6.3.20]. Bhīṣmadeva is also authority. You know Bhīṣmadeva, the grandfather of the Pāṇḍavas. He is also authority. Prahlāda, Bhīṣma... Bali Mahārāja is also authority. So we have to follow these authorities. Otherwise there is no possibility of understanding what is religion, what is God. This... Our, this sampradāya, Madhva-Gauḍīya sampradāya, they are following the authorities of Lord Brahmā and Nārada. Similarly, there is another sampradāya, Rudra-sampradāya. Rudra-sampradāya. And there is another sampradāya coming from Lakṣmījī, Śrī-sampradāya, Rāmānuja. So we have to accept religious principles from the leaders of the sampradāyas. Otherwise it is useless. Sampradāya-vihīnā ye mantrās te viphalā matāḥ: "If you do not accept mantra initiation from the disciplic succession of the sampradāya, then it will be useless." Sampradāya-vihīnā ye. So people are manufacturing religion without any reference to these authorities.