Ācārya means who is spreading pure bhakti cult. "That ācārya," Kṛṣṇa says, "you should consider such ācārya as Myself." Ācāryaṁ māṁ vijānīyāt nāvamanyeta karhicit, that. . . You cannot consider, "Yes, he is ācārya, but not as good as Kṛṣṇa." No. Na avamanyeta. Don't deride in that way. Then there will be falldown. Ācāryaṁ māṁ vijānīyāt nāvamanyeta karhicit. And in the Vedas also it is said, yasya deve parā bhaktir yathā deve tathā gurau (ŚU 6.23): "Anyone who has got unflinching faith in the Supreme Personality and the similar faith in guru. . ." Yasya deve parā bhaktir yathā deve tathā gurau, tasya ete kathitā hy arthāḥ: "All the Vedic literature," prakāśante, "becomes revealed simply by these two principle." Guru-kṛṣṇa kṛpā pāya bhakti-latā-bīja (CC Madhya 19.151).
We should not jump over Kṛṣṇa without the help of guru. That is not possible. You must go through. Because Kṛṣṇa says, ācāryam māṁ vijānī. . . Tasmād guruṁ prapadyeta jijñāsuḥ śreya uttamam (SB 11.3.21): "Actually one who is serious to understand higher transcendental subject matter, he must approach guru." Tasmād gurum prapadyeta. These are Vedic injunction. Cakṣudāna dilo yei, janme janme pitā sei. So anyone who opens. . . Guru means who opens the eyes of the ignorant person. Ajñāna-timirāndhasya jñānāñjana-śalākayā. Opening the eyes by giving real knowledge. . . Guru-kṛṣṇa kṛpā pāya bhakti-latā-bīja. So bhakti-latā, the devotional service, the seed of devotional service, can be received by the paramparā system through bona fide spiritual master. And if we abide by the orders of spiritual master faithfully, then Kṛṣṇa becomes pleased. That is stated by Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura, yasya prasādād bhagavat-prasādaḥ. Āra nā koriya mane āśā. Narottama dāsa. . . All the ācāryas, they say like that. Ācāryam māṁ vijānīyāt. Ācāryavān puruṣo veda (Chāndogya Upaniṣad 6.14.2): "One who has accepted ācārya, he knows things as they are." Others, they do not know. It is not possible.
So Advaita Ācārya is the typical example how to become ācārya. All are our ācāryas: śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanya prabhu-nityānanda, śrī-advaita gadādhara śrīvāsādi-gaura-bhakta-vṛnda. All of them are ācāryas because they are following the ācārya, supreme ācārya, Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Therefore they are ācārya. Evaṁ paramparā-prāptam imaṁ rājarṣayo viduḥ (BG 4.2). So we have to follow the ācārya. Then, when we are completely, cent percent follower of ācārya, then you can also act as ācārya. This is the process. Don't become premature ācārya. First of all follow the orders of ācārya, and you become mature. Then it is better to become ācārya. Because we are interested in preparing ācārya, but the etiquette is, at least for the period the guru is present, one should not become ācārya. Even if he is complete he should not, because the etiquette is, if somebody comes for becoming initiated, it is the duty of such person to bring that prospective candidate to his ācārya. Not that "Now people are coming to me, so I can become ācārya." That is avamanya. Nāvamanyeta karhicit. Don't transgress this etiquette. Nāvamanyeta. That will be falldown.
Just like during the lifetime of our Guru Mahārāja, all our Godbrothers now who are acting as ācārya, they did not do so. That is not etiquette. Ācāryaṁ māṁ vijānīyāt na avaman. . . That is insult. So if you insult your ācārya, then you are finished. Yasya prasādād bhagavat-prasādo yasya aprasādāt na gatiḥ kuto 'pi - finished. If you displease your ācārya, then you are finished. Therefore it is said, Caitanya Mahāprabhu says to all the ācāryas. . . Nityānanda Prabhu, Advaita Prabhu and śrīvāsādi-gaura-bhakta-vṛnda, they are all carriers of orders of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. So try to follow the path of ācārya process. Then life will be successful.
And to become ācārya is not very difficult. First of all, to become very faithful servant of your ācārya, follow strictly what he says. Try to please him and spread Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That's all. It is not at all difficult. Try to follow the instruction of your Guru Mahārāja and spread Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That is the order of Lord Caitanya.
- āmāra ajñāya guru hañā tāra' ei deśa
- yāre dekha tāre kaha 'kṛṣṇa'-upadeśa
- (CC Madhya 7.128)
"By following My order, you become guru." And if we strictly follow the ācārya system and try our best to spread the instruction of Kṛṣṇa. . . Yāre dekha tāre kaha 'kṛṣṇa'-upadeśa. There are two kinds of kṛṣṇa-upadeśa. Upadeśa means instruction. Instruction given by Kṛṣṇa, that is also kṛṣṇa-upadeśa, and instruction received about Kṛṣṇa, that is also kṛṣṇa-upadeśa. Kṛṣṇasya upadeśa iti kṛṣṇa upadeśa. Samāsa, śāsti-tat-puruṣa-samāsa. And kṛṣṇa viṣayā upadeśa, that is also kṛṣṇa upadeśa. Bāhu-vrīhi-samāsa. This is the way of analyzing Sanskrit grammar.