Recognized acarya

Expressions researched:
"recognized acarya" |"recognized acaryas"

SB Preface and Introduction

Such literatures are all based on the śāstras like the Vedas, Purāṇas, Upaniṣads, Rāmāyaṇa, Mahābhārata and other histories and authentic literatures approved by the recognized ācāryas

SB Introduction:

Many devotees of Lord Caitanya like Srila Vrndavana dasa Thakura, Sri Locana dasa Thakura, Srila Krsnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami, Sri Kavikarnapura, Sri Prabodhananda Sarasvati, Sri Rupa Gosvami, Sri Sanatana Gosvami, Sri Raghunatha Bhatta Gosvami, Sri Jiva Gosvami, Sri Gopala Bhatta Gosvami, Sri Raghunatha dasa Gosvami and in this latter age within two hundred years, Sri Visvanatha Cakravarti, Sri Baladeva Vidyabhusana, Sri Syamananda Gosvami, Sri Narottama dasa Thakura, Sri Bhaktivinoda Thakura and at last Sri Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura (our spiritual master) and many other great and renowned scholars and devotees of the Lord have prepared voluminous books and literatures on the life and precepts of the Lord. Such literatures are all based on the sastras like the Vedas, Puranas, Upanisads, Ramayana, Mahabharata and other histories and authentic literatures approved by the recognized acaryas. They are unique in composition and unrivaled in presentation, and they are full of transcendental knowledge.

SB Canto 1

The first condition is that the audience must be very sincere and eager to hear. And the speaker must be in the line of disciplic succession from the recognized ācārya

SB 1.1.13, Purport:

The conditions for hearing the transcendental message of the Absolute Truth are set forth herein. The first condition is that the audience must be very sincere and eager to hear. And the speaker must be in the line of disciplic succession from the recognized acarya. The transcendental message of the Absolute is not understandable by those who are materially absorbed. Under the direction of a bona fide spiritual master, one becomes gradually purified. Therefore, one must be in the chain of disciplic succession and learn the spiritual art of submissive hearing. In the case of Suta Gosvami and the sages of Naimisaranya, all these conditions are fulfilled because Srila Suta Gosvami is in the line of Srila Vyasadeva, and the sages of Naimisaranya are all sincere souls who are anxious to learn the truth. Thus the transcendental topics of Lord Sri Krsna's superhuman activities, His incarnation, His birth, appearance or disappearance, His forms, His names and so on are all easily understandable because all requirements are fulfilled. Such discourses help all men on the path of spiritual realization.

SB Canto 10.1 to 10.13

One should have the common sense to ask why, if Kṛṣṇa or Rāma were fictitious, stalwart scholars like Śrīdhara Svāmī, Rūpa Gosvāmī, Sanātana Gosvāmī, Vīrarāghava, Vijayadhvaja, Vallabhācārya and many other recognized ācāryas would have spent so much time to write about Kṛṣṇa in notes and commentaries on Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam

SB 10.2.35, Purport:

Because foolish mudhas do not awaken their spiritual nature, they do not understand Krsna or Rama (avajananti mam mudha manusim tanum asritam (BG 9.11)). Even big academic scholars, not considering the endeavors of the acaryas who have recommended devotional service in many elaborate commentaries and notes, think that Krsna is fictitious. This is due to a lack of transcendental knowledge and a failure to awaken Krsna consciousness. One should have the common sense to ask why, if Krsna or Rama were fictitious, stalwart scholars like Sridhara Svami, Rupa Gosvami, Sanatana Gosvami, Viraraghava, Vijayadhvaja, Vallabhacarya and many other recognized acaryas would have spent so much time to write about Krsna in notes and commentaries on Srimad-Bhagavatam.

Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures

Therefore we will accept the footprint of those recognized ācāryas

Lecture on BG 9.26-27 -- New York, December 16, 1966:

So srutayo vibhinnah, and nasav rsir yasya matam na bhinnam. And if you consult different kinds of philosophers, you will be bewildered. Because one philosopher is giving one opinion, another philosopher is... Because nasav rsir yasya...: "A philosopher is not philosopher if he does not cut another philosopher." That is going on. Nasav rsir yasya matam na bhinnam, dharmasya tattvam nihitam guhayam: "Therefore the purport of spiritual life is very confidential." How I can learn? Mahajano yena gatah sa panthah: (CC Madhya 17.186) "Therefore we will accept the footprint of those recognized acaryas." Acaryopasanam.

1975 Conversations and Morning Walks

By our ācāryas, recent ācāryas, Rāmānujācārya, Madhvācārya... I am not speaking of the loafer class, but those who are recognized ācāryas, Śaṅkarācārya... They accepted Kṛṣṇa as the supreme guru

Room Conversation with Indian Guests -- March 13, 1975, Tehran:

Prabhupāda: So do that. Don't approach the cheater guru, bluffer guru, and be cheated. Stop this business. This has spoiled the whole spiritual atmosphere of the world. Take guru, the supreme guru, Krsna. Krsna, when in Mahabharata when Maharaja Yudhisthira performed rajasuya yajna, in the rajasuya yajna one person is elected the chief guest. So in that yajna many big, big demigods were present, and Bhismadeva was present, Vyasadeva was present, and many, many other saintly person, brahmana, from the whole universe were present. And Krsna was decided to be accepted as the... Everyone agreed to accept Him as the chief guest. And the Sisupala, he protested. Then everyone was angry to kill him. So Krsna is accepted the guru by everyone. By our acaryas, recent acaryas, Ramanujacarya, Madhvacarya... I am not speaking of the loafer class, but those who are recognized acaryas, Sankaracarya... They accepted Krsna as the supreme guru. Caitanya Mahaprabhu. So accept Krsna as the supreme guru and follow His instruction and try to convince others. "Others" means even your family members. That is success of life. Samsiddhih hari-tosanam. Why should you lead your life blindly? This human life is meant for enlightenment, supreme enlightenment, and this is supreme enlightenment, to understand the teachings of Bhagavad-gita and preach it as far as you can. If not, you can preach amongst your family members. This is perfection of life. What is that verse? Ya imam paramam guhyam mad-bhaktesv abhidhasyati. That is the desire of Krsna.

That is also recommended in the Bhā... ācāryopāsanam, following the ācārya. So we have got recognized ācārya, just like you said, Rāmānujācārya, Madhvācārya, Nimbārka, Viṣṇu Svāmī, Caitanya Mahāprabhu

Morning Walk -- May 20, 1975, Melbourne:

Prabhupāda: That is the way. It is going on. So nasau munir yasya... So if I take the opinion of one muni and another muni, another muni, then where is the real view? Therefore it is said mahajano yena gatah sa panthah (CC Madhya 17.186). Big personalities, what they have done, we have to follow that. So our principle is that, that we are following Caitanya Mahaprabhu, mahajana, a great personality. Or the Christians are following Christ, a great personality. Mahajano yena gatah sa panthah. You follow some mahajana, great personality. Don't take opinion, this man, that man, this man, this man. Then you will be bewildered. Dharmasya tattvam nihitam guhayam mahajano yena gatah sa panthah. So you have to follow one great personality, acarya. That is also recommended in the Bha... acaryopasanam, following the acarya. So we have got recognized acarya, just like you said, Ramanujacarya, Madhvacarya, Nimbarka, Visnu Svami, Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Or Sankaracarya even. You follow one acarya, like Christians, they follow Christ, acarya.

"The conclusion is mahājano yena gataḥ sa panthāḥ: (CC Madhya 17.186) "Mahājana, great personalities, recognized ācārya, what they say, you follow.""

Garden Conversation with Professors -- June 24, 1975, Los Angeles:

Prabhupāda: If you study scriptures, so in the world there are many varieties of scriptures. There is Bible, there is Bhagavad-gita, there is Koran, there is so on, so on. So which one is correct? That also you cannot decide. Srutayo vibhinnah, and nasau munir yasya matam na bhinnam. And if you consult philosophers or scientists, every scientist, every philosopher, differs from the other. Otherwise he cannot become a big scientist. He must give a different view; then he is big scientist. So nasau munir yasya matam na bhinnam. Then where is the way to understand? The conclusion is mahajano yena gatah sa panthah: (CC Madhya 17.186) "Mahajana, great personalities, recognized acarya, what they say, you follow." That is the best system. So anyone who is speaking about God with authority -- take for example Jesus Christ; he is speaking in the western world -- you accept him.

1976 Conversations and Morning Walks

And in our country we do not accept Kṛṣṇa as the supreme ācārya. What is this? That is our misfortune. Kṛṣṇa is recognized ācārya. There is no doubt about it

Garden Conversation -- October 14, 1976, Chandigarh:

Prabhupada: No. There is acarya, and there are fools also. Acarya is there, and fools are there also. The agnostics are there. They will not accept any acarya. You accept some acarya. Why you become skeptic? At least, we have to accept Krsna as the supreme acarya. Why don't you accept Him? If you are embarrassed whom to select acarya, so who can be better acarya than Krsna? Why don't you accept Him? That means you want to avoid under some plea. Otherwise there is acarya. If you don't believe in other acarya, you take at least Krsna who is accepted by all the acaryas. Either Ramanujacarya, Madhvacarya, or anyone, will they not accept Krsna as the supreme teacher? Whole world is understanding Krsna is the supreme teacher. At least at the present moment they are accepting. We are selling our books daily five to six lakhs' worth, only these Krsna consciousness books. And in our country we do not accept Krsna as the supreme acarya. What is this? That is our misfortune. Krsna is recognized acarya. There is no doubt about it.

1968 Correspondence

His Divine Grace entrusted me to spread this movement in the Western countries, and since 1965, I am trying in my humble way to spread this movement in this part of the world. I am recognized Acarya of this movement, as will be evidenced by the enclosed copies of different branches of the Gaudiya Math institutions

Letter to Mr. David J. Exley -- Los Angeles 21 February, 1968:

It is not a sectarian movement meant for a certain class of men, but it is a necessary movement for all humanity irrespective of caste, creed, or color. So far I am concerned, I am a humble disciple of His Divine Grace, Om Visnupad Sri Srimad Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Goswami Maharaja, who was the original pioneer of spreading this movement in the Western world. During his lifetime, up to 1936, he started 64 main centers all over the world, including centers in Berlin, Germany, and London, England. His Divine Grace entrusted me to spread this movement in the Western countries, and since 1965, I am trying in my humble way to spread this movement in this part of the world. I am recognized Acarya of this movement, as will be evidenced by the enclosed copies of different branches of the Gaudiya Math institutions. The certificates enclosed herewith are signed by my God-brothers, who have now different branches of the same Gaudiya Math Institution which I am now spreading in this country. So, originating from Caitanya Mahaprabhu, there are thousands of centers all over India for spreading this Krishna Consciousness philosophy. There will be a very big conference at Mayapur, at which thousands of people will attend, celebrating the Advent Day of Caitanya Mahaprabhu, in March