## Key Verses from Vedic and Vaiṣṇava Literature Key Verses from Vedic and Vaisnava Literature Concerning the Spiritual Master The Spiritual Master as a Manifestation or Representative of Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead > ācāryaṁ māṁ vijānīyān > nāvamanyeta karhicit > na martya-buddhyāsūyeta > sarva-devamayo guruḥ > [SB 11.17.27] "One should know the *ācārya* as Myself and never disrespect him in any way. One should not envy him, thinking him an ordinary man, for he is the representative of all the demigods." *— Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam* [[sb/11/17/27|11.17.27]] --- [cited: *Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta* *Ādi-līlā* 1.46] "My dear King, a disciple has to accept the spiritual master not only as spiritual master, but also as the representative of the Supreme Personality of Godhead and the Supersoul. In other words, the disciple should accept the spiritual master as God because he is the external manifestation of Kṛṣṇa." *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam* Canto Eleven [cited: The Nectar of Devotion] > guru kṛṣṇa-rūpa hana śāstrera pramāṇe > guru-rūpe kṛṣṇa kṛpā karena bhakta-gaṇe "According to the deliberate opinion of all revealed scriptures, the spiritual master is nondifferent from Kṛṣṇa. Lord Kṛṣṇa in the form of the spiritual master delivers His devotees." Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta Ā*di-līlā* 1.45 > kṛṣṇa yadi kṛpā kare kona bhāgyavāne > guru-antaryāmi-rūpe śikhāya āpane "Kṛṣṇa is situated in everyone's heart as *caitya-guru,* the spiritual master within. When He is kind to some fortunate conditioned soul, He personally gives one lessons to progress in devotional service, instructing the person as the Supersoul within and the spiritual master without." Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta *Madhya-līlā* 22.47 > naivopayanty apacitiṁ kavayas taveśa > brahmāyuṣāpi kṛtam ṛddha-mudaḥ smarantaḥ > yo 'ntar bahis tanu-bhṛtām aśubhaṁ vidhunvann > ācārya-caitya-vapuṣā sva-gatiṁ vyanakti ''O my Lord! Transcendental poets and experts in spiritual science could not fully express their indebtedness to You, even if they were endowed with the prolonged lifetime of Brahmā, for You appear in two features-externally as the *ācārya* and internally as the Supersoul-to deliver the embodied living being by directing him how to come to You." *— Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam* [[sb/11/29/6|11.29.6]] --- [cited: Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta *Madhya-līlā* 22.48] The Absolute Necessity of Accepting a Spiritual Master > tad viddhi praṇipātena > paripraśnena sevayā > upadekṣyanti te jñānaṁ > jñāninas tattva-darśinaḥ > [Bg4.34] "Just try to learn the truth by approaching a spiritual master. Inquire from him submissively and render service unto him. The self-realized soul can impart knowledge unto you because he has seen the truth." *— Bhagavad-gītā As It Is* [[bg/4/34|4.34]] --- > brahmāṇḍa bhramite kona bhāgyavān jīva > guru-kṛṣṇa-prasāde pāya bhakti-latā-bīja > * [*Cc *Madhya* 19.151] "According to their *karma,* all living entities are wandering throughout the entire universe. Some of them are being elevated to the upper planetary systems, and some are going down into the lower planetary systems. Out of many millions of wandering living entities, one who is very fortunate gets an opportunity to associate with a bona fide spiritual master by the grace of Kṛṣṇa. By the mercy of both Kṛṣṇa and the spiritual master, such a person receives the seed of the creeper of devotional service." Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta *Madhya-līlā* 19.151 > tad-vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum evābhigacchet > samit-pāṇiḥ śrotriyaṁ brahma-niṣṭham > *[MU* 1.2.12] "In order to learn the transcendental science, one must approach the bona fide spiritual master in disciplic succession, who is fixed in the Absolute Truth." *Muṇdaka Upaniṣad* 1.2.12 > yasya deve parā bhaktir > yathā deve tathā gurau > tasyaite kathitā hy arthāḥ > prakāśante mahātmanaḥ > [*ŚU* 6.23] "Only unto those great souls who simultaneously have implicit faith in both the Lord and the spiritual master are all the imports of Vedic knowledge automatically revealed." *Svetāśvatara Upaniṣad* 6.23 [cited: *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam* 7.7.17] > oṁ ajñāna-timirāndhasya > jñānāñjana-śalākayā > cakṣur unmīlitaṁ yena > tasmai śrī-gurave namaḥ ''I offer my respectful obeisances unto my spiritual master, who, with the torchlight of knowledge has opened my eyes, which were blinded by the darkness of ignorance." *Gautamīya-tantra * [Cited: *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam* 8.1.11] > sarva-deśa-kāla-daśāya janera kartavya > guru-pāśe sei bhakti praṣṭavya, śrotavya "It is therefore the duty of every man-in every country, in every circumstance and at all times-to accept the bona fide spiritual master, question him about devotional service and listen to him explain the process." Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta *Madhya-līlā* 25.122 > dharmasya tattvaṁ nihitaṁ guhāyaṁ > mahājano yena gataḥ sa panthāḥ > [Cc Madhya 17.186] "It is very difficult to understand the secret of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, but one who advances by the instruction of the previous *ācāryas* and follows in the footsteps of his predecessors in the line of disciplic succession will have success." *Mahābharata, Vana-parva* 313.117 [cited: Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta *Ādi* 8.7] > ato guruṁ praṇamyaivaṁ > sarva-svaṁ vinivedya ca > gṛhṇīyād vaiṣṇavaṁ mantraṁ > dīkṣā-purvaṁ vidhānataḥ "It is the duty of every human being to surrender to a bona fide spiritual master. Giving him everything-body, mind and intelligence-one must take a Vaiṣṇava initiation from him." *Hari-bhakti-vilāsa* 2.10 [cited: Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta *Madhya-līlā* 15.108] > evam paramparā-prāptam. . . [Bg4.2] "This supreme science was thus received through the chain of disciplic succession... *— Bhagavad-gītā As It Is* [[bg/4/2|4.2]] --- > tāte kṛṣṇa bhaje, kare gurura sevana > māyā-jāla chuṭe, pāya kṛṣṇera caraṇa "If the conditioned soul engages in the service of the Lord and simultaneously carries out the orders of his spiritual master and serves him, he can get out of the clutches of *māyā* and become eligible for shelter at Kṛṣṇa's lotus feet." Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta *Madhya-līlā* 22.25 > yathā kāñcanatāṁ yāti > kāṁsyaṁ rasa-vidhānataḥ > tathā dīkṣā-vidhānena > dvijatvaṁ jāyate nṛṇām "As bell metal is turned to gold when mixed with mercury in an alchemical process, so one who is properly trained and initiated by a bona fide spiritual master immediately becomes a *brāhmaṇa*." *Hari-bhakti-vilāsa * [cited: Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta *Ādi-līlā* 7.47] The Qualifications of a Bona Fide Spiritual Master > yāre dekha, tāre kaha 'kṛṣṇa'-upadeśa > āmāra ājñāya guru hañā tara' ei deśa > [Cc Madhya 7.128] "Instruct everyone to follow the orders of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa as they are given in *Bhagavad-gītā* and *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.* In this way become a spiritual master and try to liberate everyone in this land." Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta *Madhya-līlā* 7.128 > kibā vipra, kibā nyāsī, śūdra kene naya > yei kṛṣṇa-tattva-vettā, sei 'guru' haya > [Cc *Madhya* 8.128] "Whether one is a *brāhmaṇa,* a *sannyāsī* or a *śūdra-*regardless of what he is-he can become a spiritual master if he knows the science of Kṛṣṇa." Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta *Madhya-līlā* 8.128 > vaco vegaṁ manasaḥ krodha-vegaṁ > jihvā-vegam udaropastha-vegam > etān vegān yo viṣaheta dhīraḥ > sarvam apīmāṁ pṛthivīṁ sa śiṣyāt > [*Upadeśāmṛta* 1] "A sober person who can tolerate the urge to speak, the mind's demands, the actions of anger and the urges of the tongue, belly and genitals is qualified to make disciples all over the world." NOI Text 1 > tasmād guruṁ prapadyeta > jijñāsuḥ śreya uttamam > śābde pare ca niṣṇātaṁ > brahmaṇy upaśamāśrayam > * [SB *11.3.21] "Any person who seriously desires to achieve real happiness must seek out a bona fide spiritual master and take shelter of him by initiation. The qualification of his spiritual master is that he must have realized the conclusion of the scriptures by deliberation and be able to convince others of these conclusions. Such great personalities, who have taken shelter of the Supreme Godhead, leaving aside all material considerations, are to be understood as bona fide spiritual masters." *— Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam* [[sb/11/3/21|11.3.21]] --- [cited: *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam* 5.14.41] > gurur na sa syāt sva-jano na sa syāt > pitā na sa syāj jananī na sā syāt > daivaṁ na tat syān na patiś ca sa syān > na mocayed yaḥ samupeta-mṛtyum "One who cannot deliver his dependents from the path of repeated birth and death should never become a spiritual master, a father, a husband, a mother or a worshipable demigod." *— Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam* [[sb/5/5/18|5.5.18]]