We are to take shelter of sādhu. Sādhu-guru, the same thing. Guru means sādhu. A sādhu . . . one . . . sādhu means the devotee of the Lord. If one is not sādhu, then he cannot become guru. And sādhu means . . . this is the description given. What is that? Mayy ananyena bhāvena bhaktiṁ kurvanti ye dṛḍhām. He's sādhu. Not that anyone with a saffron cloth and having a long beard. That is not sādhu. Sādhu means the devotee of the Lord. That is his first qualification. Kṛṣṇa says, api cet su-durācāro bhajate mām ananya-bhāk. The same thing. As it is . . . Kapiladeva says, mayy ananyena bhāvena. Kapiladeva is also Kṛṣṇa, incarnation of Kṛṣṇa. The same thing. The Bhagavad-gītā, Kṛṣṇa svayam says, bhajate mām ananya-bhāk. Ananya, "Not being deviated." Mām ekam, "Only unto Me." This is ananya-bhāva. Not that sometimes take from here something, take from here something, whatever is available. Those who are after material concession, they go different demigods: take something from Śiva, take something from Durgā, take something from Kālī, take this, that, that. So many, there are different demigods, especially Goddess Durgā, Lord Śiva and Gaṇeśa and Sūrya, they are . . . and Viṣṇu. The Viṣṇu worship is the best. Ārādhanānāṁ sarveṣāṁ viṣṇor ārādhanaṁ param (Padma Purāṇa). That is said by Lord Śiva to Goddess Pārvatī. Pārvatī asked Lord Śiva, "What is the best type of worship?" There are so many. It is amongst the demigods. So Lord Śiva advised, ārādhanānāṁ sarveṣāṁ viṣṇor ārādhanaṁ param. "My dear Pārvatī, amongst all kinds of different types of worship, Viṣṇu worship is the best." And then again he said, tasmāt parataraṁ devi: "And there is still better worship." What is that? Tasmāt parataraṁ devi tadīyānāṁ ārādhanānāṁ. Then . . . "Viṣṇu worship is the best. And more than that: to worship Vaiṣṇava." Tadīyānāṁ ārādhanānāṁ.
So therefore . . . here also the same thing: sa eva sādhuṣu kṛtaḥ. Begin. The spiritual life begins from the association of sādhu, or devotee. You cannot progress a pinch only without the mercy of sādhu. Naiṣāṁ mat . . . Prahlāda Mahārāja said like that:
- naiṣāṁ matis tāvad urukramāṅghriṁ
- spṛśaty anarthāpagamo yad-arthaḥ
- mahīyasāṁ pāda-rajo-'bhiṣekaṁ
- niṣkiñcanānāṁ na vṛṇīta yāvat
- (SB 7.5.32)
His father, Prahlāda Mahārāja's father, asked—after all, he's son—"My dear son, Prahlāda, how you became so much advanced in Kṛṣṇa consciousness?" Although he was demon, still, he was inquisitive. So Prahlāda Mahārāja said: "My dear father . . ." He used to address his father as asura-varya, "the best of the asuras." Tat sādhu manye asura-varya. Asura-varya. Asura means demon, and varya means "The best," varīyān. So he . . . because he asked that, "How you have advanced in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, Prahlāda? What is the process?" After all, he was a learned scholar. He inquired out of joking or something like that.
So Prahlāda Mahārāja plainly said, matir na kṛṣṇe parataḥ svato vā: "My dear asura-varya, father, this Kṛṣṇa consciousness . . ." Na matiḥ. Matir na kṛṣṇe. "One cannot get Kṛṣṇa consciousness," matir na kṛṣṇe parataḥ, "by the instruction of other or guru," parataḥ, svataḥ, "by speculating oneself," mitho 'bhipadyeta, "or by assembly, conference. For them . . ." Who? Who are they? Gṛha-vratānām.