Kṛṣṇa dictated Arjuna, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66). If you follow Arjuna, then you in directly contact with Kṛṣṇa. There is no difficulty. The dictation comes through disciplic succession. Now Kṛṣṇa is teaching to His disciple, Arjuna. Arjuna accepted, śiṣyas te 'ham (BG 2.7): "Just now I become Your disciple." Śiṣya means one who voluntarily accepts the ruling of a spiritual master. He is called śiṣya.
Nobody wants to follow the dictation of others—that is another independent nature of living entity—but when one voluntarily agrees to serve the dictation of the spiritual master . . . means to follow the dictation of Kṛṣṇa . . . Ācāryaṁ māṁ vijānīyāt. Kṛṣṇa says, "Ācārya is Myself." Nāvamanyeta karhicit: "Never disobey." Na martya-buddhyāsūyeta: "And do not think him as ordinary person and become envious of his position." Then there is falldown. Ācāryaṁ māṁ vijānīyān nāvamanyeta karhicit, na martya-buddhyāsūyeta (SB 11.17.27).
So this dictation of Kṛṣṇa comes through the disciplic succession, and if we follow the instruction of ācārya, or spiritual master, then we are directly following the orders of Kṛṣṇa, and thus I become a bhagavad-dūta. No more I am the dūta or the follower of the dictation of my senses. And one who is bhagavad-dūta, he is called gosvāmī, just like Rūpa Gosvāmī, Sanātana Gosvāmī. Those life is dedicated to follow the dictation of Kṛṣṇa, they are gosvāmī.
Gosvāmī is not a caste title, just like it has become in India. Gosvāmī . . . Rūpa Gosvāmī was minister. He was rejected by the Brahmin society, but Caitanya Mahāprabhu made him gosvāmī. He is the original gosvāmī. Why? Because he gave up the dictation of Nawab Shah but he followed the dictation of Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Therefore he became gosvāmī, prabhupāda. He became prabhupāda. Prabhupāda means the title, or the respect, which is given to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. That is called . . . prabhu means master, and pāda means maryādā, or the respect, or the distinction.
So bhagavad-dūta, those who are strictly following the dictation of Kṛṣṇa under strict disciplinary chain of disciplic succession, he is Kṛṣṇa's representative, and he should be given all the respect. Sākṣād-dharitvena samasta-śāstraiḥ (Śrī Śrī Gurv-aṣṭaka 7). That is the verdict of all śāstras. And those who are actually Vaiṣṇava, they follow this instruction.
- evaṁ te bhagavad-dūtā
- yamadūtābhibhāṣitam
- upadhāryātha tān rājan
- pratyāhur naya-kovidāḥ
- (SB 6.2.1)
Naya-kovidāḥ. Naya-kovidāḥ means nyāya-nipuṇa. Bhagavad-dūtas, those who are gosvāmīs, they place everything with nyāya, or logic. Their instructions are not blind, dogmatic. Naya-kovidāḥ. Everything what is said by Kṛṣṇa or His representative, they are not dogmas. Those who are not representative of Kṛṣṇa, they will say simply dogmas. Just like in every religion there is a dogma. But in bhāgavata religion, bhāgavata-dharma, there is no dogma.
Caitanya Mahāprabhu's bhāgavata-dharma, the Caitanya-caritāmṛta's author, Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja Gosvāmī, says therefore that caitanyera dayāra kathā karaha vicāra (CC Adi 8.1). Vicāra means you just try to understand the gift of Lord Caitanya by logic, vicāra. Don't follow blindly.
Following blindly something, that is not good. That will not stay. But one should take everything with logic. But the servants of God, they put everything in logic. Caitanyera dayāra kathā karaha vicāra. If you study the Caitanya's philosophy with logic and argument . . . don't go by sentiment.
The so-called missionary, they're simply bogus propaganda, without any logic. Without any logic. Just like some missionary people are propagating a man to become God. How a man can become God? There must be evidences how God incarnates. Not that somebody by worshiping a demigod becomes God. So many false propaganda is going on. That is not logical at all.