## Chapter I The Absolute Necessity for Accepting a Bona Fide Spiritual Master ### 1. General Instructions **The first five basic principles of devotional service involve acceptance of a bona fide spiritual master:** [Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī] mentions the basic principles as follows: (1) accepting the shelter of the lotus feet of a bona fide spiritual master, (2) becoming initiated by the spiritual master and learning how to discharge devotional service from him, (3) obeying the orders of the spiritual master with faith and devotion, (4) following in the footsteps of great *ācāryas *(teachers) under the direction of the spiritual master, (5) inquiring from the spiritual master how to advance in Kṛṣṇa consciousness... *— The Nectar of Devotion* **The first five essential practices of devotional service involve establishing a relationship with a bona fide spiritual master:** On the path of regulative devotional service, one must observe the following items: (1) one must accept a bona fide spiritual master. (2) Accept initiation from him. (3) Serve him. (4) Receive instructions from the spiritual master and make inquiries in order to learn devotional service. (5) Follow in the footsteps of the previous *ācāryas *and follow the directions given by the spiritual master. *— Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta *Madhya-līlā *[[cc/madhya/22/115|22.115]]* **It is the duty of every human being to surrender to a bona fide spiritual master:** *Hari-bhakti-vilāsa *(2.10) quotes: > ato guruṁ praṇamyaivaṁ sarva-svaṁ vinivedya ca gṛhnīyād 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."** *— Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta *Madhya-līlā *[[cc/madhya/15/108|15.108]]* **Better than worship of the Lord is worship of the Lord's devotee:** In the *Padma Purāṇa, *there is a nice statement praising the service of the Vaiṣṇavas or devotees. In that scripture Lord Śiva tells Pārvatī, "My dear Pārvatī, there are different methods of worship, and out of all such methods the worship of the Supreme Person is considered to be the highest. But even higher than the worship of the Lord is the worship of the Lord's devotees." *— The Nectar of Devotion* ### 2. To Set an Example, Even the Lord (and His Incarnations, etc.) Accepts a Spiritual Master **To set an example, even Caitanya Mahāprabhu and Lord Kṛṣṇa accepted spiritual masters:** One may ask that if Caitanya Mahāprabhu is Kṛṣṇa Himself, then why did He need a spiritual master? Of course He did not need a spiritual master, but because He was playing the role of *ācārya *(one who teaches by example), He accepted a spiritual master. Even Kṛṣṇa Himself accepted a spiritual master, for that is the system. In this way the Lord sets the example for men. We should not think, however, that the Lord takes a spiritual master because He is in want of knowledge. He is simply stressing the importance of accepting the disciplic succession. *— Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta *Ādi-līlā* Intro.* **To set an example, God Himself accepts a spiritual master:** Although formally Śrīla Nārada Rṣi is his spiritual master, Śrīla Vyāsadeva is not at all dependent on a spiritual master because in essence he is the spiritual master of everyone else. But because he is doing the work of an *ācārya*, he has taught us by his own conduct that one must have a spiritual master, even though he be God Himself. Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, Lord Śrī Rāma and Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, all incarnations of Godhead, accepted formal spiritual masters, although by Their transcendental nature They were cognizant of all knowledge. *— *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam *[[sb/1/5/21|1.5.21]]* **To set an example for ordinary men, Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma accepted a spiritual master and strictly followed the regulative principles of brahmacarya:** Vasudeva had his son initiated by sacred thread as the token of second birth, which is essential for the higher castes of human society. Vasudeva called for his family priest and learned *brāhmaṇas, *and the sacred thread ceremony of Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma was duly performed ... and They repeated the chanting of the Gāyatrī *mantra*. The Gāyatrī *mantra* is offered to the disciples after the sacred thread ceremony, and Balarāma and Kṛṣṇa properly discharged the duties of chanting this *mantra*. Anyone who executes the chanting of this *mantra* has to abide by certain principles and vows. Although Balarāma and Kṛṣṇa were both transcendental personalities, They strictly followed the regulative principles. Both were initiated by Their family priest Gargācārya, usually known as Gargamuni, the *ācārya* of the Yadu dynasty. According to Vedic culture, every respectable person has an *ācārya*, or spiritual master. One is not considered to be a perfectly cultured man without being initiated and trained by an *ācārya*. It is said, therefore, that one who has approached an *ācārya* is actually in perfect knowledge. Lord Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma were the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the master of all education and knowledge. There was no need for Them to accept a spiritual master or *ācārya*, yet for the instruction of ordinary men, They also accepted a spiritual master for advancement in spiritual knowledge. It is customary, after being initiated in the Gāyatrī *mantra*, for one to live away from home for some time under the care of the *ācārya* in order to be trained in spiritual life. During this period one has to work under the spiritual master as an ordinary menial servant. There are many rules and regulations for a *brahmacārī* living under the care of an *ācārya, *and both Lord Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma strictly followed those regulative principles while living under the instruction of their spiritual master, Sāndīpani Muni, in his place in northern India. According to scriptural injunctions, a spiritual master should be respected and be regarded on an equal level with the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Both Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma exactly followed those principles with great devotion and underwent the regulations of *brahmacarya, *and thus They satisfied Their spiritual master, who instructed Them in Vedic knowledge. Being very satisfied, Sāndīpani Muni instructed Them in all the intricacies of Vedic wisdom as well as in supplementary literatures such as the *Upanisads.* ... The ocean is the source of water in a river. The cloud is created by the evaporation of ocean water, and the same water is distributed as rain all over the surface of the earth and then returns toward the ocean in rivers. So Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, are the source of all kinds of knowledge, but because They were playing like ordinary human boys, They set the example so that everyone would receive knowledge from the right source. Thus They agreed to take knowledge from a spiritual master. *— Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead* **The absolute necessity of accepting a bona fide spiritual master:** **... How could one have knowledge of devotional service and detachment without the help of such [spotless] devotees?** PURPORT: There are many inexperienced persons who advocate self-realization without the help of a spiritual master. They decry the necessity of the spiritual master and try themselves to take his place by propagating the theory that a spiritual master is not necessary. *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, *however, does not approve this viewpoint. Even the great transcendental scholar Vyāsadeva had need of a spiritual master, and under the instruction of his spiritual master, Nārada, he prepared this sublime literature, *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. *Even Lord Caitanya, although He is Kṛṣṇa Himself, accepted a spiritual master; even Lord Kṛṣṇa accepted a spiritual master, Sāndīpani Muni, in order to be enlightened; and all the *ācāryas *and saints of the world had spiritual masters. In *Bhagavad-gītā *Arjuna accepted Kṛṣṇa as his spiritual master, although there was no question about the necessity of accepting a spiritual master. The only stipulation is that the spiritual master should be bona fide; i.e., the spiritual master must be in the proper chain of disciplic succession, called the *paramparā *system. *— *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam *[[sb/3/7/39|3.7.39]]* ### 3. One Approaches the Lord Through the Spiritual Master (Service to the Lord Begins with Service to His Representative, the Spiritual Master) **One can approach Kṛṣṇa not directly, but through His pure devotee, by accepting such a pure devotee as spiritual master:** In the *Ādi-līlā* *Purāṇa *there is the following statement by Lord Kṛṣṇa Himself, addressed to Arjuna: "My dear Pārtha, one who claims to be My devotee is not so. Only a person who claims to be the devotee of My devotee is actually My devotee." No one can approach the Supreme Personality of Godhead directly [*Cc Madhya* [[cc/madhya/13/80|13.80]]]. One must approach Him through His pure devotees. Therefore, in the system of Vaiṣṇava activities, the first duty is to accept a devotee as spiritual master and then to render service unto him. *— The Nectar of Devotion* **One should approach Kṛṣṇa not directly, but through a transparent via medium:** The best way to establish our relation in transcendental sweetness is to approach [Lord Kṛṣṇa] through His recognized devotees. One should not try to establish the relation directly; there must be a via medium which is transparent and competent to lead us to the right path. *— *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam *[[sb/1/9/22|1.9.22]]* **The spiritual master is the transparent via medium through which one can approach the Supreme Lord:** My spiritual master used to say, "The spiritual master is the transparent via medium." For example, I can see the letters of this book very nicely through these transparent eyeglasses, without which I cannot see because my eyes are defective. Similarly, our senses are all defective. We cannot see God with these eyes, we cannot hear Hare Kṛṣṇa with these ears, we cannot do anything without the via medium of the spiritual master. Just as a defective eye cannot see without the via medium of spectacles, so one cannot approach the Supreme Lord without the transparent via medium of the spiritual master. "Transparent" means that the via medium must be free of contamination. If it is transparent, one can see through it. *— The Science of Self-Realization* **To become a servant of the Lord, one must become a servant of the servant of the servant of the Lord by accepting a spiritual master in disciplic succession:** [For devotional life] one must first become a servant of the servant of the servant of the Lord (*dāsānudāsa*). Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu advised, and He also showed by His own example, that a living entity should always desire to be a servant of the servant of the servant of Kṛṣṇa, the maintainer of the *gopīs *(*gopī-bhartuḥ pada-kamalayor dāsadāsānudāsaḥ*). This means that one must accept a spiritual master who comes in the disciplic succession and is a servant of the servant of the Lord [*Cc Madhya* [[cc/madhya/13/80|13.80]]]. *— *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam *[[sb/6/11/24|6.11.24]]* **The disciple does not serve the Lord directly, but serves the spiritual master first:** **"My dear Lord, Supreme Personality of Godhead, because of my association with material desires, one after another, I was gradually falling into a blind well full of snakes, following the general populace. But Your servant Nārada Muni kindly accepted me as his disciple and instructed me how to achieve this transcendental position. Therefore, my first duty is to serve him. How could I leave his service?"** PURPORT: As will be seen in later verses, even though Prahlāda Mahārāja was directly offered all the benedictions he might have desired, he refused to accept such offerings from the Supreme Personality of Godhead. On the contrary, he asked the Lord to engage him in the service of His servant Nārada Muni. This is the symptom of a pure devotee. One should serve the spiritual master first. It is not that one should bypass the spiritual master and desire to serve the Supreme Lord. This is not the principle for a Vaiṣṇava. Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura says: > tāṅdera caraṇa sevi bhakta-sane vāsa janame janame haya, ei abhilāsa One should not be anxious to offer direct service to the Lord. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu advised that one become a servant of the servant of the servant of the Lord *(gopī-bhartuḥ pada-kamalayor dāsadāsānudāsaḥ* [*Cc Madhya* [[cc/madhya/13/80|13.80]]]*). *This is the process for approaching the Supreme Lord. The first service should be rendered to the spiritual master so that by his mercy one can approach the Supreme Personality of Godhead to render service. While teaching Rūpa Gosvāmī, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu said, *guru-kṛṣṇa-prasāde pāya bhakti-latā-bīja:* [*Cc *Madhya* *[[cc/madhya/19/151|19.151]]]* *one can achieve the seed of devotional service by the mercy of the *guru, *the spiritual master, and then by the mercy of Kṛṣṇa. This is the secret of success. First one should try to please the spiritual master, and then one should attempt to please the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura also says, *yasya prasādād bhagavat-prasādaḥ. *One should not attempt to please the Supreme Personality of Godhead by concoction. One must first be prepared to serve the spiritual master, and when one is qualified he is automatically offered the platform of direct service to the Lord. Therefore Prahlāda Mahārāja proposed that he engage in the service of Nārada Muni. He never proposed that he engage directly in the service of the Lord. This is the right conclusion. Therefore he said, *so 'haṁ kathaṁ nu visṛje tava bhṛtya-sevām: *"How can I give up the service of my spiritual master, who has favored me in such a way that I am now able to see You face to face?" Prahlāda Mahārāja prayed to the Lord that he might continue to engage in the service of his spiritual master, Nārada Muni. *— *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam* [[sb/7/9/28|7.9.28]]* **One can approach the Supreme Lord by approaching His representative:** Sometimes there are inquiries as to how one can surrender unto the Supreme Lord. In the *Bhagavad-gītā* ([[bg/18/66|18.66]])* *the Lord asked Arjuna to surrender unto Him, and therefore persons unwilling to do so question where God is and to whom they should surrender. The answer to such questions or inquiries is given herein very properly. The Personality of Godhead may not be present before one's eyes, but if one is sincere in wanting such guidance the Lord will send a bona fide person who can guide one properly back home, back to Godhead.... The bona fide representative of God is as good as God Himself. Or, in other words, the loving representative of the Lord is more kind and more easy to approach. A sinful soul cannot approach the Lord directly, but such a sinful man can very easily approach a pure devotee of the Lord. And if one agrees to put himself under the guidance of such a devotee of the Lord, he can also understand the science of God and can also become like the transcendental pure devotee of the Lord and thus get his liberation back to Godhead, back home for eternal happiness. *— *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam *[[sb/2/7/46|2.7.46]]* **Service to the devotee (spiritual master) in disciplic succession is the first condition of devotional service:** **The person who has not at any time received the dust of the feet of the Lord's pure devotee upon his head is certainly a dead body....** PURPORT: There is a common saying that one should first love the dog of the beloved before one shows any loving sentiments for the beloved. The stage of pure devotion is attained by sincerely serving a pure devotee of the Lord. The first condition of devotional service to the Lord is therefore to be a servant of a pure devotee, and this condition is fulfilled by the statement "reception of the dust of the lotus feet of a pure devotee who has also served another pure devotee." That is the way of pure disciplic succession, or devotional *paramparā.... *Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa is the property of His pure unconditional devotees, and as such only the devotees can deliver Kṛṣṇa to another devotee; Kṛṣṇa is never obtainable directly.... The conclusion is, therefore, that one should be more serious about seeking the mercy of the devotee than that of the Lord directly, and by one's doing so (by the good will of the devotee) the natural attraction for the service of the Lord will be revived. *— *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam *[[sb/2/3/23|2.3.23]]* **Service of the Lord begins with service of His servants:** **O Muni, in the last millennium I was born as the son of a certain maidservant engaged in the service of *brāhmaṇas *who were following the principles of *Vedānta. *When they were living together during the four months of the rainy season, I was engaged in their personal service.** PURPORT: From the personal example of Śrī Nārada Muni in his previous birth, it is clear that the service of the Lord begins with the service of the Lord's bona fide servants. The Lord says that the service of His servants is greater than His personal service. Service of the devotees is more valuable than the service of the Lord. One should therefore choose a bona fide servant of the Lord constantly engaged in His service, accept such a servant as the spiritual master and engage himself in his (the spiritual master's) service. Such a spiritual master is the transparent medium by which to visualize the Lord, who is beyond the conception of the material senses. By service of the bona fide spiritual master, the Lord consents to reveal Himself in proportion to the service rendered. *— *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam *[[sb/1/5/23|1.5.23]]* **Without the favor of the spiritual master, one cannot directly approach Kṛṣṇa:** **"Although these two young men are the sons of the very rich Kuvera and I have nothing to do with them, Devarṣi Nārada is My very dear and affectionate devotee, and therefore because he wanted Me to come face to face with them, I must do so for their deliverance."** PURPORT: Because Nārada Muni desired that Nalakūvara and Maṇigrīva see Vāsudeva face to face, the Supreme Personality of Godhead wanted to fulfill the words of His very dear devotee Nārada Muni. If one seeks the favor of a devotee instead of directly asking favors from the Supreme Personality of Godhead, one is very easily successful. Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura has therefore recommended: *vaiṣṇava ṭhākura, tomāra kukkura, bhuliyā janaha more, kṛsṇa se tomāra kṛṣṇa dite pāra. *One should desire to become like a dog in strictly following a devotee. Kṛṣṇa is in the hand of a devotee. *Adurlabham ātma-bhaktau. *Thus without the favor of a devotee, one cannot directly approach Kṛṣṇa, what to speak of engaging in His service. Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura therefore sings, *chāḍiyā vaiṣṇava-sevā nistāra pāyeche kebā: *unless one becomes a servant of a pure devotee, one cannot be delivered from the material condition of life. In our Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava society, following in the footsteps of Rūpa Gosvāmī, our first business is to seek shelter of a bona fide spiritual master *(ādau gurv-āśrayaḥ).* *— *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam *[[sb/10/10/25|10.10.25]]* **One cannot be initiated directly by the Lord from within, but by the bona fide spiritual master:** Brahmā was initiated by the Lord from within. The Lord is within every living entity as the Supersoul, and He initiated Brahmā because Brahmā was willing to receive the initiation. The Lord can similarly initiate everyone who is inclined to have it.... One should not, however, think himself on the level of Brahmā to be initiated directly by the Lord from inside because in the present age no one can be accepted to be as pure as Brahmā. The post of Brahmā to officiate in the creation of the universe is offered to the most pure living being, and unless one is so qualified one cannot expect to be treated like Brahmājī directly. But one can have the same facility through unalloyed devotees of the Lord, through scriptural instructions (as revealed in the *Bhagavad-gītā *and *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam *especially), and also through the bona fide spiritual master available to the sincere soul. *— * Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam *[[sb/2/9/7|2.9.7]]* **To serve Kṛṣṇa favorably, one has to find out what He wants, from the spiritual master:** Caitanya Mahāprabhu recommends pure devotional service. There should be no desire to fulfill one's own material desires, there should be no attempt to understand Kṛṣṇa by experimental philosophy, and there should be no fruitive activities to derive material benefits from Kṛṣṇa. The only desire should be to serve Him favorably, as He desires. If Kṛṣṇa wants something, then we should do it.... One has to understand what Kṛṣṇa wants. When there is that intimate relationship, then one can serve Kṛṣṇa most favorably. And as long as there is not that intimate relationship, one must take information of what Kṛṣṇa wants through the transparent medium of the spiritual master. *— The Science of Self-Realization* **Following the instructions of a devotee is more valuable than directly following the instructions of the Lord:** Śrīla Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura says, *chāḍiyā vaiṣṇava-sevā nistāra pāyeche kebā: *without being a devotee of a devotee, one cannot be released from material entanglement. Therefore Caitanya Mahāprabhu identified Himself as *gopī-bhartuḥ pada-kamalayor dāsa-dāsānudāsaḥ* [*Cc Madhya* [[cc/madhya/13/80|13.80]]]*. *Thus He instructed us to become not directly servants of Kṛṣṇa but servants of the servant of Kṛṣṇa. Devotees like Brahmā, Nārada, Vyāsadeva and Śukadeva Gosvāmī are directly servants of Kṛṣṇa, and one who becomes a servant of Nārada, Vyāsadeva and Śukadeva, like the Six Gosvāmīs, is still more devoted. Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura therefore says, *yasya prasādād bhagavat-prasādaḥ: *if one very sincerely serves the spiritual master, Kṛṣṇa certainly becomes favorable to such a devotee. Following the instructions of a devotee is more valuable than following the instructions of the Supreme Personality of Godhead directly. *— *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam *[[sb/9/4/63|9.4.63]]* **The devotee is engaged in the intimate service of the Lord through the agency of the spiritual master:** The Lord reveals His identity gradually to one who has unflinching faith, both in the spiritual master and in the Lord. After this, the devotee is endowed with mystic opulences, which are eight in number. And above all, the devotee is accepted in the confidential entourage of the Lord and is entrusted with specific service of the Lord through the agency of the spiritual master. *— *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam *[[sb/1/5/39|1.5.39]]* ### 4. One Can Understand the Lord Only Through the Spiritual Master **One can understand Kṛṣṇa only by the direction of a spiritual master:** One who has unflinching devotion for the Supreme Lord and is directed by the spiritual master can see the Supreme Personality of Godhead by revelation. For one who does not take personal training under the guidance of a bona fide spiritual master, it is impossible to even begin to understand Kṛṣṇa. The word *tu *is* *specifically used here to indicate that no other process can be used, can be recommended, or can be successful in understanding Kṛṣṇa. *— Bhagavad-gītā As It Is [[bg/11/54|11.54]]* **One can understand Kṛṣṇa through the spiritual master (although the experience is direct):** **By the mercy of Vyāsa, I have heard these most confidential talks directly from the master of all mysticism, Kṛṣṇa, who was speaking personally to Arjuna.** PURPORT: Vyāsa was the spiritual master of Sañjaya, and Sañjaya admits that it was by his mercy that he could understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead. This means that one has to understand Kṛṣṇa not directly but through the medium of the spiritual master. The spiritual master is the transparent medium, although it is true that the experience is direct. This is the mystery of disciplic succession. When the spiritual master is bona fide, then one can hear *Bhagavad-gītā *directly, as Arjuna heard it. *— Bhagavad-gītā As It Is [[bg/18/75|18.75]]* **Unless enlightened by a spiritual master, one cannot see Kṛṣṇa, or see things as they are:** One must see things as they are through the mercy of a spiritual master; otherwise if one tries to see Kṛṣṇa directly, he may mistake an ordinary man for Kṛṣṇa or Kṛṣṇa for an ordinary man. Everyone has to see Kṛṣṇa according to the verdict of Vedic literatures presented by the self-realized spiritual master. A sincere person is able to see Kṛṣṇa through the transparent medium of Śrī Gurudeva, the spiritual master. Unless one is enlightened by the knowledge given by the spiritual master, he cannot see things as they are, even though he remains constantly with the spiritual master. *— Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta *Madhya-līlā *[[cc/madhya/18/99|18.99]]* **By the grace of a bona fide spiritual master, one can understand the Lord:** **Furthermore, after leaving all his associates, the king surrendered himself as a disciple to the son of Vyāsa [Śukadeva Gosvāmī], and thus he was able to understand the actual position of the Personality of Godhead.** PURPORT: The word *ajita *is* *significant here. The Personality of Godhead, Śrī Kṛṣṇa, is known as Ajita, or unconquerable, and He is so in every respect. No one can know His actual position. He is unconquerable by knowledge also. We have heard about His *dhāma, *or place, eternal Goloka Vṛndāvana, but there are many scholars who interpret this abode in different ways. But by the grace of a spiritual master like Śukadeva Gosvāmī, unto whom the king gave himself up as a most humble disciple, one is able to understand the actual position of the Lord, His eternal abode, and His transcendental paraphernalia in that *dhāma, *or abode. Knowing the transcendental position of the Lord and the transcendental method by which one can approach that transcendental *dhāma, *the king was confident about his ultimate destination, and by knowing this he could leave aside everything material, even his own body, without any difficulty of attachment. In the *Bhagavad-gītā *it is stated, *paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate:* [*Bg* [[bg/2/59|2.59]]]* *one can give up all connection with material attachment when one is able to see the *param, *or the superior quality of things. From *Bhagavad-gītā *we understand the quality of the Lord's energy that is superior to the material quality of energy, and by the grace of a bona fide spiritual master like Śukadeva Gosvāmī, it is quite possible to know everything of the superior energy of the Lord by which the Lord manifests His eternal name, quality, pastimes, paraphernalia and variegatedness. Unless one thoroughly understands this superior or eternal energy of the Lord, it is not possible to leave the material energy, however one may theoretically speculate on the true nature of the Absolute Truth. By the grace of Lord Kṛṣṇa, Maharāja Parīkṣit was able to receive the mercy of such a personality as Śukadeva Gosvāmī, and thus he was able to know the actual position of the unconquerable Lord. It is very difficult to find the Lord from the Vedic literatures, but it is very easy to know Him by the mercy of a liberated devotee like Sukadeva Gosvāmī. *— *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam *[[sb/1/18/3|1.18.3]]* **One can see the Lord not by mental speculation but through the transparent medium of the bona fide spiritual master:** As stated in the *Brahma-saṁhitā, *the mental speculators, even by dint of learned scholarship, cannot even dream of the Absolute Truth by speculating over it for eternity. The Lord reserves the right of not being exposed to such mental speculators. And because they cannot enter into the network of the stem of the lotus feet of the Lord, all mental speculators differ in conclusions, and at the end they make a useless compromise by saying "as many conclusions, as many ways," according to one's own inclination (*yathā-rucam*). But the Lord is not like a shopkeeper trying to please all sorts of customers in the mental speculator exchange. The Lord is what He is, the Absolute Personality of Godhead, and He demands absolute surrender unto Him only. The pure devotee, however, by following the ways of previous *ācāryas, *or authorities, can see the Supreme Lord through the transparent medium of a bona fide spiritual master *(anupaśyanti). *The pure devotee never tries to see the Lord by mental speculation, but by following in the footsteps of the *ācāryas (mahājano yena gataḥ sa panthāḥ* [*Cc Madhya *[[cc/madhya/17/186|17.186]]]*).* *— *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam *[[sb/2/4/21|2.4.21]]* **To understand Kṛṣṇa, one must take shelter of a bona fide spiritual master:** **Unless they smear upon their bodies the dust of the lotus feet of a Vaiṣṇava completely freed from material contamination, persons very much inclined toward materialistic life cannot be attached to the lotus feet of the Lord, who is glorified for His uncommon activities. Only by becoming Kṛṣṇa conscious and taking shelter at the lotus feet of the Lord in this way can one be freed from material contamination.** PURPORT: One may ask why highly educated persons do not take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness. The reason is explained in this verse. Unless one takes shelter of a bona fide, fully Kṛṣṇa conscious spiritual master, there is no chance of understanding Kṛṣṇa. The educators, scholars and big political leaders worshiped by millions of people cannot understand the goal of life and take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, for they have not accepted a bona fide spiritual master and the *Vedas. *Therefore in the *Muṇḍaka Upaniṣad *(3.2.3) it is said, *nāyam ātmā pravacanena labhyo/ na medhayā na bahunā śrutena: *one cannot become self-realized simply by having an academic education, by presenting lectures in an erudite way (*pravacanena labhyaḥ*), or by being an intelligent scientist who discovers many wonderful things. One cannot understand Kṛṣṇa unless one is graced by the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Only one who has surrendered to a pure devotee of Kṛṣṇa and taken the dust of his lotus feet can understand Kṛṣṇa. First one must understand how to get out of the clutches of *māyā. *The only means is to become Kṛṣṇa conscious. And to become Kṛṣṇa conscious very easily, one must take shelter of a realized soul—a *mahat, *or *mahātmā—*whose only interest is to engage in the service of the Supreme Lord.... One must take shelter of a self-realized spiritual master, not a materially educated scholar or politician. One must take shelter of a *niṣkiñcana, *a person engaged in devotional service and free from material contamination. That is the way to return home, back to Godhead. *— *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam* [[sb/7/5/32|7.5.32]]* **One who engages in devotional service under the guidance of the spiritual master in disciplic succession becomes qualified to see the Lord face to face:** **The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Anantadeva, replied as follows: King, as a result of your having accepted the instructions spoken about Me by the great sages Nārada and Aṅgirā, you have become completely aware of transcendental knowledge. Because you are now educated in the spiritual science, you have seen Me face to face. Therefore you are now completely perfect.** PURPORT: The perfection of life is to be spiritually educated and to understand the existence of the Lord and how He creates, maintains and annihilates the cosmic manifestation. When one is perfect in knowledge, he can develop his love of Godhead through the association of such perfect persons as Nārada and Aṅgirā and the members of their disciplic succession. Then one is able to see the unlimited Supreme Personality of Godhead face to face. Although the Lord is unlimited, by His causeless mercy He becomes visible to the devotee, who is then able to see Him.... If one takes to spiritual life under the direction of Nārada Muni or his representative and thus engages himself in the service of the Lord, he qualifies himself to see the Lord face to face.... One must follow the instructions of the spiritual master. Thus one becomes qualified and later sees the Supreme Personality of Godhead. *— *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam *[[sb/6/16/50|6.16.50]]* **By engaging in devotional service under the guidance of the spiritual master, one comes to see the Lord face to face:** The science of devotional service has been instructed by Nārada and Aṅgirā to Citraketu. Now, because of Citraketu's devotional service, he has seen the Supreme Personality of Godhead. By performing devotional service, one advances step by step, and when one is on the platform of love of Godhead (*premā pum-artho mahān*)* *he sees the Supreme Lord at every moment. As stated in *Bhagavad-gītā, *when one engages in devotional service twenty-four hours a day *(teṣāṁ satata-yuktānāṁ bhajatāṁ prīti-pūrvakam* [Bg [[bg/10/10|10.10]]]*) *in accordance with the instructions of the spiritual master, his devotional service becomes more and more pleasing. Then the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is within the core of everyone's heart, speaks to the devotee (*dadāmi buddhi-yogaṁ taṁ yena mām upayānti te*). Citraketu Mahārāja was first instructed by his *gurus, *Aṅgirā and Nārada, and now, having followed their instructions, he has come to the stage of seeing the Supreme Lord face to face. *— *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam *[[sb/6/16/51|6.16.51]]* **To understand God, one must approach a guru:** **Mr. O'Grady:** Is it possible to arrive at this understanding of God alone? **Śrīla Prabhupāda: **No. Therefore we have cited this verse: *tad-vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum evābhigacchet** *[MU 1.2.12]*. *The word *abhigacchet *means "must." It is not possible alone. In Sanskrit grammar this is called the *vidhi-liṅ *form of a verb, and this form is used when there is no choice. The word *abhigacchet *means that one must approach a *guru. *That is the Vedic version. Therefore in the *Bhagavad-gītā *you* *will find that Arjuna was talking to Kṛṣṇa, but when he saw that things were not being resolved, he surrendered himself to Kṛṣṇa and accepted Him as his *guru.* *— The Science of Self-Realization* **To understand Kṛṣṇa, one must approach a spiritual master in the disciplic succession from Vyāsadeva:** It is said that Vidura understood transcendental knowledge from Maitreya, and it is stated that Maitreya is a friend of Vyāsadeva's. This means that both Vidura and Maitreya know what Vyāsadeva knows. We have to approach a spiritual master who is in the disciplic succession from Vyāsadeva. Everyone may claim to be following Vyāsadeva, but one must *actually *follow him. Vyāsadeva accepted Kṛṣṇa as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and Arjuna also accepted Kṛṣṇa as Para-brahman, the Supreme Person.... Vyāsadeva accepted Kṛṣṇa as *paraṁ brahma, *and Vyāsadeva began his commentary on *Vedānta-sūtra *with the words *oṁ* *namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. *If we are actually interested in understanding, we must approach a representative of Vyāsadeva like Maitreya. *— Teachings of Lord Kapila, the Son of Devahuti* **Unless guided by a realized spiritual master, one's understanding of the Supreme Lord is simply foolishness:** A student is to be considered perfected when he understands the identity of the holy name and the Supreme Lord. Unless one is under the shelter of a realized spiritual master, his understanding of the Supreme is simply foolishness. However, one can fully understand the transcendental Lord by service and devotion. *— Teachings of Lord Caitanya* ### 5. To Receive Perfect Knowledge or to Realize the Truth, One Must Approach a Spiritual Master **For perfect knowledge, one must approach a spiritual master:** > tad viddhi praṇipātena... [Bg [[bg/4/34|4.34]]] **"Just try to learn the truth by approaching a spiritual master."...** PURPORT: The path of spiritual realization is undoubtedly difficult. The Lord therefore advises us to approach a bona fide spiritual master in the line of disciplic succession from the Lord Himself.... No one can be spiritually realized by manufacturing his own process, as is the fashion of the foolish pretenders. The *Bhāgavatam *says: *dharmaṁ tu sākṣād bhagavat-praṇītam* [SB [[sb/6/3/19|6.3.19]]]*—*the path of religion is directly enunciated by the Lord. Therefore, mental speculation or dry arguments cannot help one progress in spiritual life. One has to approach a bona fide spiritual master to receive the knowledge. *— Bhagavad-gītā As It Is [[bg/4/34|4.34]]* **The light of knowledge is given by the guru:** This world is full of darkness and ignorance, but Kṛṣṇa consciousness is transcendental to this material world. In Kṛṣṇa consciousness, there is no darkness but simply light. If we try to find things at night, it becomes very difficult; however, in the daytime, there is no difficulty. The *śāstras *enjoin that we leave this darkness and come to light. This light is given by the *guru.* > oṁ ajñāna-timirāndhasya jñānāñjana-śalākayā cakṣur unmīlitaṁ yena tasmai śrī-gurave namaḥ **"I was born in the darkest ignorance, and my spiritual master opened my eyes with the torch of knowledge. I offer my respectful obeisances unto him."** It is the *guru's *business to give light by knowledge. The *guru *has completely assimilated the Vedic essence of life. *— Teachings of Lord Caitanya* **To get knowledge, one must approach a guru:** We can speculate for many births, for many years, and yet not be able to understand the ultimate goal of life. Therefore the *śāstras *all advise that we search out a *guru. *The word *guru *means "heavy" or "weighty." One who has much knowledge is heavy with knowledge. One should consider the bona fide *guru *in this way, and one should not think, "I know everything. Who can teach me?" No one can say such a thing, for everyone needs instruction. *— Teachings of Lord Kapila, the Son of Devahuti* **Knowledge must be acquired from one who is dhīra (undisturbed by material illusion), the spiritual master:** The instructions of *vidyā *(knowledge) must be acquired from a *dhīra*. A* dhīra is *one who is not disturbed by material illusion. No one can be undisturbed unless he is perfectly spiritually realized, at which time one neither hankers nor laments for anything. A *dhīra *realizes that the material body and mind which he has acquired by chance through material association are but foreign elements; therefore he simply makes the best use of a bad bargain.... The *dhīras *are those who have come to know all these facts by hearing of them from superior authorities. The *dhīras *realize this knowledge by following the regulative principles. To follow the regulative principles, one must take shelter of a bona fide spiritual master. The transcendental message and regulative principles come down from the spiritual master to the disciple. Such knowledge does not come in the hazardous way of nescient education. One can become a *dhīra *only by submissively hearing the messages of the Personality of Godhead. The perfect disciple must be like Arjuna, and the spiritual master must be as good as the Lord Himself. This is the process of learning *vidyā *(knowledge) from the *dhīra, *the undisturbed. *— *Śrī Īśopaniṣad *Mantra 10* Without being trained by a spiritual master, one cannot understand the existence of the soul within the body: Foolish rascals, including so-called *jñānīs*, philosophers and scientists, cannot understand the existence of the soul within the body because they are lacking in spiritual knowledge. The *Vedas *enjoin, *tad-vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum evābhigacchet:** *[MU 1.2.12]* *to understand spiritual knowledge, one must approach a bona fide spiritual master. Unless one has been trained in geology, one cannot detect gold in stone. Similarly, unless one has been trained by a spiritual master, he cannot understand what is spirit and what is matter. Here it is said, *yogais tad-abhijñaḥ. *This indicates that one who has connected himself with spiritual knowledge can understand that there is a spiritual soul within the body. However, one who is in an animalistic conception of life and has no spiritual culture cannot understand. As an expert minerologist or geologist can understand where there is gold and can then invest his money to dig there and chemically separate the gold from the ore, an expert spiritualist can understand where the soul is within matter. One who has not been trained cannot distinguish between gold and stone. Similarly, fools and rascals who have not learned from an expert spiritual master what is soul and what is matter cannot understand the existence of the soul within the body. To understand such knowledge, one must be trained in the mystic *yoga *system, or, finally, in the *bhakti-yoga *system. As stated in *Bhagavad-gītā *([[bg/18/55|18.55]]), *bhaktyā mām abhijānāti. *Unless one takes shelter of the *bhakti-yoga *process, one cannot understand the existence of the soul within the body. *— *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam *[[sb/7/7/21|7.7.21]]* **To understand the material and spiritual worlds, and his own existential position, the conditioned soul must approach a bona fide spiritual master and learn from him:** **A person interested in transcendental knowledge must therefore always directly and indirectly inquire about it to know the all-pervading truth. *(Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam *[[sb/2/9/36|2.9.36]])** PURPORT: Those who are serious about the knowledge of the transcendental world, which is far beyond the material cosmic creation, must approach a bona fide spiritual master to learn the science both directly and indirectly. One must learn both the means to approach the desired destination and the hindrances to such progress. The spiritual master knows how to regulate the habits of a neophyte disciple, and therefore a serious student must learn the science in all its aspects from him....One should understand, through the transparent medium of the spiritual master, that the Supreme Lord exists everywhere in His transcendental spiritual nature and that the living entities' relationships with the Lord are directly and indirectly existing everywhere, even in this material world. In the spiritual world there are five kinds of relationships with the Supreme Lord—śā*nta, dāsya, sākhya, vātsalya *and *mādhurya.... *These five relationships in the material world are distorted reflections of the original pure sentiments, which should be understood and perfected in relationship with the Supreme Personality of Godhead under the guidance of a bona fide spiritual master ... a conditioned soul must ultimately approach a bona fide spiritual master and try to understand perfectly the material and spiritual worlds and his own existential position. *— Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta *Ādi. *[[cc/adi/1/56|1.56]]* **A real brāhmaṇa, rather than endeavor for material advancement, approaches a bona fide spiritual master:** The Vedic injunction is that no one can have full knowledge without being under the guidance of an *ācārya. Ācāryavān puruṣo veda: *one who has accepted an *ācārya *knows what is what. The Absolute Truth cannot be understood by arguments. One who has attained the perfect brahminical stage naturally becomes renounced; he does not strive for material gain because by spiritual knowledge he has come to the conclusion that in this world there is no insufficiency. Everything is sufficiently provided by the Supreme Personality of Godhead. A real *brāhmaṇa, *therefore, does not endeavor for material perfection; rather, he approaches a bona fide spiritual master to accept orders from him. *— Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead* **Unless one approaches an enlightened guru, one remains in ignorance and suffering:** The human form of body is actually meant for *jīvasya* *tattva jijñāsā, *enlightenment in knowledge of spiritual values. Therefore, one must seek shelter of a bona fide spiritual master. *Tasmād guruṁ prapadyeta:* [SB [[sb/11/3/21|11.3.21]]]* *one must approach a *guru. *Who is a *guru*? *Śābde pare ca nisṇātam *(*Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam *[[sb/11/3/27-28|11.3.27]]): a *guru is *one who has full transcendental knowledge. Unless one approaches a spiritual master, one remains in ignorance. *Ācāryavān puruṣo veda* (*Chāndogya Upaniṣad *6.14.2): one has full knowledge about life when one is *ācāryavān, *controlled by the *ācārya. *But when one is conducted by *rajo-guṇa *and *tamo-guṇa, *one does not care about anything; instead, one acts like an ordinary foolish animal, risking his life *(mṛtyu-saṁsāra-vartmani* [*Bg* [[bg/9/3|9.3]]]*) *and therefore continuing to go through suffering after suffering. *Na te viduḥ svārtha-gatiṁ hi viṣṇum (Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam *[[sb/7/5/31|7.5.31]]). Such a foolish person does not know how to elevate himself in this body. Instead, he indulges in sinful activities and goes deeper and deeper into hellish life. *— *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam *[[sb/10/10/10|10.10.10]]* **By surrendering to a bona fide spiritual master, one advances on the path of transcendental realization:** One cannot become a perfect devotee of the Lord without having touched the lotus feet of a great devotee. One who has nothing to do with this material world is called *niṣkiñcana. *The process of self-realization and the path home, back to Godhead, means surrendering to the bona fide spiritual master and taking the dust of his lotus feet on one's head. Thus one advances on the path of transcendental realization. *— *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam *[[sb/4/31/28|4.31.28]]* **To realize the Transcendence, one's senses must be spiritualized under the direction of the spiritual master:** The serious candidate must accept a bona fide spiritual master in order to be trained scientifically. Because the senses are material, it is not at all possible to realize the Transcendence by them. Therefore the senses have to be spiritualized by the prescribed method under the direction of the spiritual master. *— Easy Journey to Other Planets* **Transcendental knowledge can be understood only by the grace of a bona fide spiritual master:** **Nārāyaṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the well wisher and friend of all living entities, formerly explained this transcendental knowledge to the great saint Nārada. Such knowledge is extremely difficult to understand without the mercy of a saintly person like Nārada, but everyone who has taken shelter of Nārada's disciplic succession can understand this confidential knowledge.** PURPORT: It is stated here that this confidential knowledge is extremely difficult to understand, yet it is very easy to understand if one takes shelter of a pure devotee. This confidential knowledge is also mentioned at the end of *Bhagavad-gītā, *where the Lord says*, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja:* [*Bg* [[bg/18/66|18.66]]] "Abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto Me." This knowledge is an extremely confidential secret, but it can be understood if one approaches the Supreme Personality of Godhead through the bona fide agent, the spiritual master in the disciplic succession from Nārada.... Understanding does not depend upon high parentage. The living entity is certainly pure on the spiritual platform, and therefore anyone who attains the spiritual platform by the grace of the spiritual master can also understand this confidential knowledge. *— *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam *[[sb/7/6/27|7.6.27]]* **Freedom from lamentation and illusion follow surrender to a spiritual master:** Although Arjuna was for the time being overwhelmed with false grief due to family affection, he surrendered unto Kṛṣṇa, the supreme spiritual master, as a disciple. This indicated that he would soon be free from the false lamentation resulting from family affection and would be enlightened with perfect knowledge of self-realization, or Kṛṣṇa consciousness, and would then surely fight. *— Bhagavad-gītā As It Is [[bg/2/9|2.9]]* **Realized knowledge is attained when one realizes the teachings received from the spiritual master:** One should approach a bona fide spiritual master—irrespective of caste, creed, color, country, etc.—and hear from him everything about devotional service. The real purpose of life is to revive our dormant love of God. Indeed, that is our ultimate necessity. How that love of God can be attained is explained in *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. *There is theoretical knowledge and specific or realized knowledge, and perfect realized knowledge is attained when one realizes the teachings received from the spiritual master. *— Teachings of Lord Caitanya* **Because nothing is unknown to the realized spiritual master, one should approach him for complete knowledge:** The Vedic *mantras *say: *yasmin vijñāte sarvam evaṁ vijñātaṁ bhavati* (Muṇḍaka Upaniṣad 1.3)*. *When the devotee sees the Supreme Personality of Godhead by his meditation, or when he sees the Lord personally, face to face, he becomes aware of everything within this universe. Indeed, nothing is unknown to him. Everything within this material world is fully manifested to a devotee who has seen the Supreme Personality of Godhead. *Bhagavad-gitā *([[bg/4/34|4.34]]) therefore advises: > tad viddhi praṇipātena paripraśnena sevayā upadekṣyanti te jñānaṁ jñāninas tattva-darśinaḥ **"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."** Lord Brahmā is one of these self-realized authorities (*svayambhūr nāradaḥ śambhuḥ kumāraḥ kapilo manuḥ* [SB 6.3.20]).* *One must therefore accept the disciplic succession from Lord Brahmā, and then one can understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead in fullness. *— *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam *[[sb/8/6/9|8.6.9]]* **By serving the lotus feet of the spiritual master, one can achieve transcendental knowledge:** **Śukadeva Gosvāmī continued: My dear King, Prince Priyavrata was a great devotee because he sought the lotus feet of Nārada, his spiritual master, and thus achieved the highest perfection in transcendental knowledge.** PURPORT: Śrīla Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura has sung, *chāḍiyā vaiṣṇava-sevā nistāra pāyeche kebā: *"Without serving the lotus feet of a pure Vaiṣṇava or spiritual master, no one has ever attained perfect liberation from material bondage." Prince Priyavrata regularly served the lotus feet of Nārada, and thus the Prince perfectly understood transcendental subjects in truth. *— *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam *[[sb/5/1/6|5.1.6]]* **By getting knowledge from the spiritual master, the disciple transcends the modes of nature:** One can transcend all the activities of the modes of material nature simply by understanding them properly by learning from the proper souls. The real spiritual master is Kṛṣṇa, and He is imparting this spiritual knowledge to Arjuna. Similarly, it is from those who are fully in Kṛṣṇa consciousness that one has to learn this science of activities in terms of the modes of nature. Otherwise, one's life will be misdirected. By the instruction of a bona fide spiritual master, a living entity can know of his spiritual position, his material body, his senses, how he is entrapped, and how he is under the spell of the material modes of nature. He is helpless, being in the grip of these modes, but when he can see his real position, then he can attain to the transcendental platform, having the scope for spiritual life. Actually, the living entity is not the performer of different activities. He is forced to act because he is situated in a particular type of body, conducted by some particular mode of material nature. Unless one has the help of spiritual authority, he cannot understand in what position he is actually situated. With the association of a bona fide spiritual master, he can see his real position, and, by such an understanding, he can become fixed in full Kṛṣṇa consciousness. *— Bhagavad-gītā As It Is [[bg/14/19|14.19]]* ### 6. To Understand Vedic Knowledge, One Must Hear from a Spiritual Master **Kṛṣṇa taught, by example, that everyone must learn the Vedas from an authorized teacher:** The Lord is constitutionally well versed in all the *Vedas, *and yet to teach by example that everyone must go to learn the *Vedas *from an authorized teacher and must satisfy the teacher by service and reward, He Himself adopted this system. *— *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam *[[sb/3/3/2|3.3.2]]* **The disciple should study and learn all the Vedic literatures under the care of the spiritual master:** **One who is twiceborn, namely a *brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya *or *vaiśya, *should reside in the *guru-kula *under the care of the spiritual master. There he should study and learn all the Vedic literatures along with their supplements and the *Upaniṣads, *according to his ability and power to study.** *— *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam* 7.12.13* Unless one surrenders to a spiritual master, he cannot understand Vedic knowledge (merely by an academic career): **When all the students thus resolved, criticizing Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, their intelligence was spoiled. Thus although they were learned scholars, because of this offense the essence of knowledge was not manifest in them.** PURPORT: One who is unflinchingly devoted to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Viṣṇu, and similarly devoted to the spiritual master, with no ulterior motive, becomes a master of all knowledge. In the heart of such a devotee, the real essence of the Vedic knowledge becomes manifest. This essence is nothing but surrender unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead (*vedaiś ca sarvair aham eva vedyaḥ* [Bg [[bg/15/15|15.15]]]). Only unto one who fully surrenders to the spiritual master and the Supreme Lord does the essence of Vedic knowledge become manifest, not to anyone else.... Śrīdhara Svāmī confirms in his commentary that first one must surrender to the spiritual master; then the process of devotional service will develop. It is not a fact that only one who diligently pursues an academic career can become a devotee. Even with no academic career, if one has full faith in the spiritual master and the Supreme Personality of Godhead, he develops in spiritual life and real knowledge of the *Vedas. *The example of Mahārāja Khaṭvāṅga confirms this. One who surrenders is understood to have learned the subject matter of the *Vedas *very nicely. One who adopts this Vedic process of surrender learns devotional service and is certainly successful. One who is very much proud, however, is unable to surrender either to the spiritual master or to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Thus he cannot understand the essence of any Vedic literature.... Anyone who does not follow the surrendering process but is simply interested in an academic career cannot make any advancement. His profit is only his labor for nothing. If one is expert in the study of the *Vedas *but does not surrender to a spiritual master or Viṣṇu, all his cultivation of knowledge is but a waste of time and labor. *— Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta *Ādi-līlā *[[cc/adi/17/257|17.257]]* **Scriptural study without contact of a realized spiritual master is ineffectual:** Unless one inquires about his own self beyond the body and the mind, all his activities in human life are total failures. Therefore out of thousands and thousands of men, one may inquire about his spirit self and thus consult the revealed scriptures like *Vedānta-sūtras, Bhagavad-gītā *and *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. *But in spite of reading and hearing such scriptures, unless one is in touch with a realized spiritual master, he cannot actually realize the real nature of self, etc. *— *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam *[[sb/2/3/1|2.3.1]]* **To understand the mystery of revealed scriptures, one must approach a bona fide spiritual master:** One who is not taught by a bona fide spiritual master cannot understand the Vedic literature. To emphasize this point, Lord Kṛṣṇa, while instructing Arjuna, clearly said that it was because Arjuna was His devotee and confidential friend that he could understand the mystery of *Bhagavad-gītā. *It is to be concluded, therefore, that one who wants to understand the mystery of revealed scriptures must approach a bona fide spiritual master, hear from him very submissively and render service to him. Then the import of the scriptures will be revealed. It is stated in the *Vedas:* > yasya deve parā bhaktir yathā deve tathā gurau tasyaite kathitā hy arthāḥ prakāśante mahātmanaḥ [ŚU 6.23] **"The real import of the scriptures is revealed to one who has unflinching faith in both the Supreme Personality of Godhead and the spiritual master."** *— Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta Ā*di-līlā *[[cc/adi/7/48|7.48]]* **Only from the bona fide spiritual master in disciplic succession can one understand the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam:** **"One should taste the meaning of *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam *in the association of pure devotees...."** PURPORT: The *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam *can only be recited by one who has unflinching faith in the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa and His devotee, the spiritual master. One should try to understand *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam *from the spiritual master. The Vedic injunction states: *bhaktyā bhāgavataṁ grāhyaṁ na buddhyā na ca ṭīkayā. *One has to understand *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam *through the process of devotional service and by hearing the recitation of a pure devotee. These are the injunctions of Vedic literature—ś*ruti *and *smṛti. *Those who are not in the disciplic succession and who are not pure devotees cannot understand the real mysterious objective of *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam *and *Śrīmad Bhagavad-gītā.* *— Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta *Madhya-līlā *[[cc/madhya/22/131|22.131]]* **One cannot see properly without hearing Vedic wisdom descending through disciplic succession:** It is clearly mentioned in this sixth *mantra *that one should observe, or see. This means that one must follow the previous *ācārya, *the perfected teacher. *Anupaśyati is *the exact Sanskrit word used in this connection. *Paśyati *means to observe. This does not mean that one should try to see things as he does with the naked eye. Due to material defects, the naked eye cannot see anything properly. One cannot see properly unless he has heard from a superior source, and the highest source is the Vedic wisdom which is spoken by the Lord Himself. Vedic truths are coming in disciplic succession from the Lord to Brahmā, from Brahmā to Nārada, from Nārada to Vyāsa, and from Vyāsa to many other disciples. *— *Śrī* Īśopaniṣad Mantra 6* **Rather than speculate, one should approach a bona fide spiritual master and get real knowledge from him:** [One should] approach a bona fide *guru *who is the representative of the Lord following the *paramparā *system. No one should try to squeeze out his own meaning by imperfect mundane knowledge. The *guru, *or the bona fide spiritual master, is competent to teach the disciple in the right path with reference to the context of all authentic Vedic literature. He does not attempt to juggle words to bewilder the student. The bona fide spiritual master, by his personal activities, teaches the disciple the principles of devotional service. Without personal service, one would go on speculating like the impersonalists and dry speculators life after life and would be unable to reach the final conclusion. *— *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam *[[sb/2/9/37|2.9.37]]* **To understand Vedic knowledge (and thus become a brāhmaṇa), one must be initiated by a bona fide guru:** A first-class intelligent man is called a *brāhmaṇa *because he knows the Supreme Brahman, the Absolute Truth. According to the Vedic instructions, *tad-vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum evābhigacchet:** *[MU 1.2.12]* *to know this science, one must approach a bona fide *guru, *a spiritual master who will initiate the disciple with the sacred thread so that he may understand the Vedic knowledge. *Janmanā jāyate śūdraḥ saṁskārād bhaved dvijaḥ. *Becoming a *brāhmaṇa *through the endeavor of a bona fide spiritual master is called *saṁskāra. *After initiation, one is engaged in study of the *śāstra, *which teaches the student how to gain release from materialistic life and return home, back to Godhead. *— *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam *[[sb/6/5/20|6.5.20]]* **To understand the instructions of the supreme spiritual master, Kṛṣṇa, one must approach a guru:** Sometimes it is argued that people do not know who is a spiritual master and that finding a spiritual master from whom to get enlightenment in regard to the destination of life is very difficult. To answer all these questions, King Satyavrata shows us the way to accept the Supreme Personality of Godhead as the real spiritual master. The Supreme Lord has given full directions in *Bhagavad-gītā *about how to deal with everything in this material world and how to return home, back to Godhead. Therefore, one should not be misled by so-called *gurus *who are rascals and fools. Rather, one should directly see the Supreme Personality of Godhead as the *guru *or instructor. It is difficult, however, to understand *Bhagavad-gītā *without the help of the *guru. *Therefore the *guru *appears in the *paramparā *system. In *Bhagavad-gītā* ([[bg/4/34|4.34]])* *the Supreme Personality of Godhead recommends: > tad viddhi praṇipātena paripraśnena sevayā upadekṣyanti te jñānaṁ jñāninas tattva-darśinaḥ **"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."** ... Where, then, is the difficulty in finding a *guru? *If one is sincere he can find the *guru *and learn everything. One should take lessons from the *guru *and find out the goal of life. *— *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam* [[sb/8/24/53|8.24.53]]* **One must study the Vedas under a bona fide spiritual master:** The institution of *varṇa *and *āśrama *prescribes many regulative duties to be observed by its followers. Such duties enjoin that a candidate willing to study the *Vedas *must approach a bona fide spiritual master and request acceptance as his disciple. The sacred thread is a sign of those who are competent to study the *Vedas *from the *ācārya, *or the bona fide spiritual master.... Generally, a man is born as an ordinary being, and by the purificatory processes he is born for the second time. When he sees a new light and seeks direction for spiritual progress, he approaches a spiritual master for instruction in the *Vedas. *The spiritual master accepts only the sincere inquirer as his disciple and gives him the sacred thread. In this way a man becomes twiceborn, or a *dvija. *After qualifying as a *dvija *one may study the *Vedas, *and after becoming well versed in the *Vedas *one becomes a *vipra. *A *vipra, *or a qualified *brāhmaṇa, *thus realizes the Absolute and makes further progress in spiritual iife until he reaches the Vaiṣṇava stage. The Vaiṣṇava stage is the postgraduate status of a *brāhmaṇa. A *progressive *brāhmaṇa *must necessarily become a Vaiṣṇava, for a Vaiṣṇava is a self-realized, learned *brāhmaṇa.* *— *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam *[[sb/1/2/2|1.2.2]]* ### 7. To Understand Things Beyond the Range of the Senses and Mind, One Must Hear from a Spiritual Master **Knowledge of the absolute region can be had not by material observation or speculation, but by surrendering to and hearing from the guru:** Gentlemen, our knowledge is so poor, our senses are so imperfect, and our sources are so limited that it is not possible for us to have even the slightest knowledge of the absolute region without surrendering ourselves at the lotus feet of Śrī Vyāsadeva or his bona fide representative. Every moment we are being deceived by the knowledge of our direct perception. It is all the creation or concoction of the mind, which is always deceiving, changing, and flickering. We cannot know anything of the transcendental region by our limited, perverted method of observation and experiment. But all of us can lend our eager ears for the aural reception of the transcendental sound transmitted from that region to this through the unadulterated medium of Śrī Gurudeva or Śrī Vyāsadeva. *— The Science of Self-Realization* **To understand that which is beyond one's senses, one must approach a bona fide spiritual master:** If you want to attain knowledge by any personal endeavor, by exercising your imperfect senses, you will never come to the right conclusion. That is not possible. There is a statement in *Brahma-saṁhitā: *Just ride on the airplane which runs at the speed of mind. Our material airplanes can run two thousand miles per hour, but what is the speed of mind? You are sitting at home, you immediately think of India, say ten thousand miles away, and at once it is in your home. Your mind has gone there. The mind-speed is so swift. Therefore it is stated, "If you travel at this speed for millions of years, you'll find that the spiritual sky is unlimited." It is not possible even to approach it. Therefore, the Vedic injunction is that one must approach—the word "compulsory" is used—a bona fide spiritual master, a *guru.* *— *Śrī* Īśopaniṣad Intro.* **To understand things beyond material conception, one must hear from a bona fide ācārya:** **Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu then assured the *brāhmaṇa, *"Have faith in my words and do not burden your mind any longer with this misconception."** PURPORT: This is the process of spiritual understanding. *Acintyāḥ khalu ye bhāvā na tāṁs tarkeṇa yojayet. *We should not try to understand things beyond our material conception by argument and counter argument. *Mahājano yena gataḥ sa panthāḥ:* [*Cc Madhya *[[cc/madhya/17/186|17.186]]]* *we have to follow in the footsteps of great authorities coming down in the *paramparā *system. If we approach a bona fide *ācārya *and keep faith in his words, spiritual realization will be easy. *— Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta *Madhya-līlā* [[cc/madhya/9/195|9.195]]* ### 8. One Can Achieve Liberation from Material Existence Only by Approaching a Spiritual Master **The bound (conditioned) soul requires help of an unbound (liberated) soul—the spiritual master:** It is to be understood that the conditioned soul is tightly tied by the ropes of illusion. A man bound by the hands and feet cannot free himself—he must be helped by a person who is unbound. Because the bound cannot help the bound, the rescuer must be liberated. Therefore, only Lord Kṛṣṇa, or His bona fide representative the spiritual master, can release the conditioned soul. Without such superior help, one cannot be freed from the bondage of material nature. *— Bhagavad-gītā As It Is [[bg/7/14|7.14]]* **To be freed from the entanglement of the material world, one must approach a spiritual master:** **O My sons, you should accept a highly elevated *paramahaṁsa, *a spiritually advanced spiritual master.** PURPORT: One has to accept a bona fide spiritual master. This is advocated by Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī in his *Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu: śrī-guru-padāśrayaḥ. *To be freed from the entanglement of the material world, one has to approach a spiritual master. *— *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam *5.5.10* **No one can get free from the influence of material nature by personal attempts; one must accept a bona fide spiritual master and act under his direction:** The personified *Vedas *continued: "Our dear Lord, although great mystic *yogīs *may have full control over the elephant of the mind and the hurricane of the senses, unless they take shelter of a bona fide spiritual master, they fall victims to the material influence and never become successful in their attempts at self-realization. Such unguided persons are compared to merchants going to sea on a ship without a captain. By his personal attempts, therefore, no one can get free from the clutches of material nature. One has to accept a bona fide spiritual master and work according to his direction. Then it is possible to cross over the nescience of material conditions." *— Kṛṣṇa* **By coming under the shelter of a guru, the conditioned soul becomes free from the continuous struggle up and down within the material world:** **When the conditioned soul accepts the shelter of the creeper of fruitive activity, he may be elevated by his pious activities to higher planetary systems and thus gain liberation from hellish conditions, but unfortunately he cannot remain there. After reaping the results of his pious activities, he has to return to the lower planetary systems. In this way he perpetually goes up and comes down.** PURPORT: Even if one wanders for many millions of years, from the time of creation until the time of annihilation, one cannot get free from the path of material existence unless one receives shelter at the lotus feet of a pure devotee. As a monkey takes shelter of the branch of a banyan tree and thinks he is enjoying, the conditioned soul, not knowing the real interest of his life, takes shelter of the path of *karma-kāṇḍa, *fruitive activities. Sometimes he is elevated to the heavenly planets by such activities, and sometimes he again descends to earth. This is described by Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu as *brahmāṇḍa bhramite. *However, if by Kṛṣṇa's grace one is fortunate enough to come under the shelter of the *guru, *by the mercy of Kṛṣṇa he receives lessons on how to execute devotional service to the Supreme Lord. In this way he receives a clue of how to get out of his continuous struggle up and down within the material world. Therefore the Vedic injunction is that one should approach a spiritual master.... One must come to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, and therefore one must take shelter of a pure devotee. Thus one can become free from the clutches of matter. *— *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam *[[sb/5/14/41|5.14.41]]* **Approaching a spiritual master is not a fashion but a necessity for one wanting freedom from material miseries:** Approaching a spiritual master is not just a fashion but is a necessity for one who is seriously conscious of the material miseries and who wants to be free of them. It is the duty of such a person to approach a spiritual master. In this regard, we should note similar circumstances in *Bhagavad-gītā. *When Arjuna was perplexed by so many problems involving whether to fight or not, he accepted Lord Kṛṣṇa as his spiritual master. *— Teachings of Lord Caitanya* **The duty of a human being is to come in touch with Kṛṣṇa's representative, the bona fide spiritual master:** Harassed life after life by the laws of nature, the living entity wanders throughout the entire universe in different planets and different species of life. Somehow or other, if he is fortunate enough, he comes in touch with a devotee who reforms his entire life. Then the living entity goes back home, back to Godhead. Therefore it is said: > janame janame sabe pitā-mātā pāya kṛṣṇa guru nāhi mile bhaja hari ei In the transmigration of the soul through different bodies, everyone, in every form of life—be it human, animal, tree or demigod—gets a father and mother. This is not very difficult. The difficulty is to obtain a bona fide spiritual master and Kṛṣṇa. Therefore the duty of a human being is to capture the opportunity to come in touch with Kṛṣṇa's representative, the bona fide spiritual master. Under the guidance of the spiritual master, the spiritual father, one can return home, back to Godhead. *— *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam *[[sb/6/16/6|6.16.6]]* **When the conditioned soul meets and follows the instructions of the expert physician, the bona fide spiritual master, his material disease is cured:** Due to the conditioned soul's eternal attitude of separation from Kṛṣṇa, the spell of material energy awards him two kinds of bodily existence—the gross body consisting of five elements, and the subtle body consisting of mind, intelligence and ego. Being covered by these two bodies, the conditioned soul eternally suffers the pangs of material existence known as the threefold miseries. He is also subjected to six enemies (such as lust, anger, etc.). Such is the everlasting disease of the conditioned soul. Diseased and conditioned, the living entity transmigrates throughout the universe. Sometimes he is situated in the upper planetary system and sometimes in the lower system. In this way he leads his diseased life. His disease can be cured only when he meets and follows the expert physician, the bona fide spiritual master. When the conditioned soul faithfully follows the instructions of a bona fide spiritual master, his material disease is cured, he is promoted to the liberated stage, and he again attains to the devotional service of Kṛṣṇa and goes back home, back to Kṛṣṇa. *— Teachings of Lord Caitanya* **To get out of the clutches of material nature and achieve the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa, one must approach a spiritual master and be trained by him in devotional service:** In *Bhagavad-gītā *it is stated ([[bg/7/14|7.14]]) that material nature is so strong that it cannot be surmounted by an ordinary living entity. Only those who surrender unto the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa can cross the ocean of material existence. The living entity forgets that he is eternally the servitor of Kṛṣṇa, and his forgetfulness causes his bondage in conditional life and his attraction for material energy. Indeed, that attraction is the shackle of material energy. Since it is very difficult for a person to become free as long as he desires to dominate material nature, it is recommended that he approach a spiritual master who can train him in devotional service and enable him to get out of the clutches of material nature and achieve the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa. *— Teachings of Lord Caitanya* ****One** **must approach a guru to find out one's real self interest and to cross beyond material existence:**** Sanātana Gosvāmī was a great learned scholar, and he was called a *paṇḍita, *which indicates that he was a learned *brāhmaṇa. *When Sanātana Gosvāmī approached Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, he said, "The people in my neighborhood are calling me a *paṇḍita, *and I am very unhappy because of this." Caitanya Mahāprabhu asked, "Why are you dissatisfied?" Sanātana Gosvāmī replied, "I am such a poor *paṇḍita *that I do not even know the goal of life. I do not even know what is beneficial for me. I am simply being carried away by sense gratification." In this way, Sanātana Gosvāmī approached Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. He did not approach Him to get some gold or some medicine. He went to find out his real self-interest. This is the real purpose for approaching a *guru.* Devahūti approached Lord Kapiladeva in the same way. She said, "My dear Kapila, You have come as my son, but You are my *guru *because You can inform me how I can cross the ocean of nescience, which is the material world." Thus one who feels the need to cross the dark ocean of nescience, which is material existence, requires a *guru. *It is not the *guru's *task to supply gold and medicine. Now it has become a fashion to keep a *guru *as if he were a dog or a cat. This is of no use. We must inquire about that portion of God's creation which is beyond this darkness. *— Teachings of Lord Kapila, the Son of Devahuti* **The spiritual master is the captain of the boat of the human form of life for crossing the ocean of nescience:** **Lord Brahmā said: My dear demigods, the human form of life is of such importance that we also desire to have such life, for in the human form one can attain perfect religious truth and knowledge. If one in this human form of life does not understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead and His abode, it is to be understood that he is very much affected by the influence of the external nature.** PURPORT: Brahmājī condemns very vehemently the condition of the human being who does not take interest in the Personality of Godhead and His transcendental abode, Vaikuṇṭha. The human form of life is desired even by Brahmājī. Brahmā and other demigods have much better material bodies than human beings, yet the demigods, including Brahmā, nevertheless desire to attain the human form of life because it is specifically meant for the living entity who can attain transcendental knowledge and religious perfection. It is not possible to go back to Godhead in one life, but in the human form one should at least understand the goal of life and begin Kṛṣṇa consciousness. It is said that the human form is a great boon because it is the most suitable boat for crossing over the nescience ocean. The spiritual master is considered to be the most able captain in that boat, and the information from the scriptures is the favorable wind for floating over the ocean of nescience. The human being who does not take advantage of all these facilities in this life is committing suicide. Therefore one who does not begin Kṛṣṇa consciousness in the human form of life loses his life to the influence of the illusory energy. Brahmā regrets the situation of such a human being. *— Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam [[sb/3/15/24|3.15.24]]* **A human being who takes advantage of taking instruction from the spiritual master has properly used his human form of life:** "If a man is sufficiently educated in student life under the guidance of a proper teacher, then his life becomes successful in the future. He can very easily cross over the ocean of nescience, and he is not subjected to the influence of the illusory energy.... The spiritual master who instructs the disciples about spiritual matters is called *śikṣā-guru, *and the spiritual master who initiates the disciple is called *dīkṣā-guru. *Both of them are My representatives. There may be many spiritual masters who instruct, but the initiator spiritual master is one. A human being who takes advantage of these spiritual masters and, receiving proper knowledge from them, crosses the ocean of material existence, is to be understood as having properly utilized the human form of life. He has practical knowledge that the ultimate interest of life, which is to be gained only in this human form of life, is to achieve spiritual perfection and thus be transferred back home, back to Godhead." *— Kṛṣṇa* **To get relief from the struggle for existence, one must find a bona fide guru and take instructions at his lotus feet:** In this material world the conditioned souls are baffled by their activities, and sometimes they are relieved after great difficulty. On the whole the conditioned soul is never happy. He simply struggles for existence. Actually his only business is to accept the spiritual master, the *guru, *and through him he must accept the lotus feet of the Lord. This is explained by Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu: *guru-kṛṣṇa-prasāde pāya bhakti-latā-bīja* [*Cc *Madhya* *[[cc/madhya/19/151|19.151]]]*. *People struggling for existence in the forests or cities of the material world are not actually enjoying life. They are simply suffering different pains and pleasures, generally pains that are always inauspicious. They try to gain release from these pains, but they cannot due to ignorance. For them it is stated in the *Vedas: tad-vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum evābhigacchet** *[MU 1.2.12]*. *When the living entity is lost in the forest of the material world, in the struggle for existence, his first business is to find a bona fide *guru *who is always engaged at the lotus feet of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Viṣṇu. After all, if he is at all eager to be relieved of the struggle for existence, he must find a bona fide *guru *and take instructions at his lotus feet. In this way he can get out of the struggle.... No one can get out of this struggle for existence, which is full of miseries, without accepting a pure devotee of the Lord. The material attempt changes from one position to another, and no one actually gains relief from the struggle for existence. The only resort is the lotus feet of a bona fide spiritual master, and, through him, the lotus feet of the Lord. *— *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam *[[sb/3/15/24|3.15.24]]* **A person who associates with and surrenders to a spiritual master is saved by Kṛṣṇa:** Kṛṣṇa comes like an ordinary human being, He comes as a devotee like Lord Caitanya, or He sends His representative, the spiritual master or pure devotee.... They come to canvass and educate, and thus a person in the illusory energy of the Supreme Lord gets a chance to mix with them, talk with them, and take lessons from them, and somehow or other if a conditioned soul surrenders to such personalities and by intimate association with them chances to become Kṛṣṇa conscious, he is saved from the material conditions of life.... A person who surrenders unto [Kṛṣṇa] by utilizing the chance to associate with the pure devotee, spiritual master or other authorized incarnations of Godhead like Pṛthu Mahārāja, is saved by Kṛṣṇa. Then his life becomes successful. *— *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam *[[sb/4/21/27|4.21.27]]* **One cannot be freed from birth and death without the association of a bona fide spiritual master:** When the living entity is encaged in the material body, he is called *jīva-bhūta, *and when he is free from the material body he is called *brahma-bhūta* [SB [[sb/4/30/20|4.30.20]]]. By* *changing his material body birth after birth, he travels not only in the different species of life, but also from one planet to another. Lord Caitanya says that the living entities, bound up by fruitive activities, are wandering in this way throughout the whole universe, and if by some chance or by pious activities they get in touch with a bona fide spiritual master, by the grace of Kṛṣṇa, then they get the seed of devotional service. After getting this seed, if one sows it within his heart and pours water on it by hearing and chanting, the seed grows into a big plant, and there are fruits and flowers which the living entity can enjoy, even in this material world. That is called the *brahma-bhūta *stage.... Unless one gets the opportunity to associate with a bona fide spiritual master by the grace of the Lord, there is no possibility of one's liberation from the cycle of birth and death in the different species of life and through the different grades of planets. *— *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam *[[sb/3/31/43|3.31.43]]* **The spiritual master extinguishes the blazing fire of material existence:** Constant transmigration of the soul from one body to another is the cause of suffering in material existence. This conditional life in material existence is called *saṁsāra. *One may perform good work and take his birth in a very nice material condition, but the process under which birth and death takes place is like a terrible fire. Śrī Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura, in his prayer to the spiritual master, has described this. *Saṁsāra, *or the repetition of birth and death, is compared to a forest fire. A forest fire takes place automatically, without anyone's endeavor, by the friction of dried wood, and no fire department or sympathetic person can extinguish it. The raging forest fire can be extinguished only when there is a constant downpour of water from a cloud. The cloud is compared to the mercy of the spiritual master. By the grace of the spiritual master the cloud of the mercy of the Personality of Godhead is brought in, and then only, when the rains of Kṛṣṇa consciousness fall, can the fire of material existence be extinguished. *— *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam *[[sb/3/21/17|3.21.17]]* **Unless one receives the mercy of the spiritual master (and saintly persons and Kṛṣṇa) liberation from material existence is not possible:** Once one enters into the continuation of material existence, it is very difficult to get out. Therefore the Supreme Personality of Godhead comes Himself or sends His bona fide representative, and He leaves behind scriptures like *Bhagavad-gītā *and *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam,* so* *that the living entities hovering in the darkness of nescience may take advantage of the instructions, the saintly persons and the spiritual masters and thus be freed. Unless the living entity receives the mercy of the saintly persons, the spiritual master or Kṛṣṇa, it is not possible for him to get out of the darkness of material existence; by his own endeavor it is not possible. *— *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam *[[sb/3/32/38|3.32.38]]* **** One** **properly initiated by a bona fide spiritual master is gradually freed from material conceptions and becomes attached to devotional service:**** The Lord's service is the only means by which one can become detached from material activities. A person properly initiated by a bona fide spiritual master and engaged in chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare / Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare gradually becomes freed from the conception of "I" and "mine" and becomes attached to the Lord's transcendental loving service. *— Teachings of Lord Caitanya* **By faithful and devotional service to the spiritual master, one can transcend the modes of material nature:** > rajas tamaś ca sattvena sattvaṁ copaśamena ca etat sarvaṁ gurau bhaktyā puruṣo hy añjasā jayet **One must conquer the modes of passion and ignorance by developing the mode of goodness, and then one must become detached from the mode of goodness by promoting oneself to the platform of *śuddha-sattva. *All this can be automatically done if one engages in the service of the spiritual master with faith and devotion. In this way one can conquer the influence of the modes of nature.** PURPORT: Just by treating the root cause of an ailment, one can conquer all bodily pains and sufferings. Similarly, if one is devoted and faithful to the spiritual master, he can conquer the influence of *sattva-guṇa, rajo-guṇa *and *tamo-guṇa *very easily. *Yogīs *and *jñānīs *practice in many ways to conquer the senses, but the *bhakta *immediately attains the mercy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead through the mercy of the spiritual master. *Yasya prasādād bhagavat-prasādaḥ. *If the spiritual master is favorably inclined, one naturally receives the mercy of the Supreme Lord, and by the mercy of the Supreme Lord one immediately becomes transcendental, conquering all the influences of *sattva-guṇa, rajo-guṇa *and *tamo-guṇa *within this material world. This is confirmed in *Bhagavad-gītā *(*sa guṇān samatītyaitān brahma-bhuyāya kalpate* [Bg [[bg/14/26|14.26]]]).* *If one is a pure devotee acting under the directions of the *guru, *one easily gets the mercy of the Supreme Lord and thus becomes immediately situated on the transcendental platform. *— *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam *[[sb/7/15/25|7.15.25]]* **When one accepts a saintly spiritual master, he gets spiritual knowledge, becomes detached and returns to his original Kṛṣṇa consciousness:** When a man comes into good consciousness and accepts a saintly person as a spiritual master, he hears many Vedic instructions in the form of philosophy, stories, narrations about great devotees and transactions between God and His devotees. In this way a man becomes refreshed in mind, exactly like a person who smears scented sandalwood pulp all over his body and decorates himself with ornaments. These decorations may be compared to knowledge of religion and the self. Through such knowledge one becomes detached from a materialistic way of life and engages himself in always hearing *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Bhagavad-gītā *and other Vedic literatures. The word *sādhv-alaṅkṛta *used in this verse indicates that one must be absorbed in knowledge gathered from the instructions of saintly persons ... one who is decorated with knowledge and instructions from saintly persons should try to search out his original consciousness, Kṛṣṇa consciousness. One cannot return to Kṛṣṇa consciousness unless he is favored by the instructions of a saintly person. Therefore Śrīla Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura sings: *sādhu-śāstra-guru-vākya, cittete kariyā aikya. *If we want to become saintly persons, or if we want to return to our original Kṛṣṇa consciousness, we must associate with *sādhu *(a saintly person), *śāstra *(authoritative Vedic scripture), and *guru *(a bona fide spiritual master). This is the process. *— *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam *[[sb/4/26/12|4.26.12]]* **By engaging in devotional service under the guidance of a spiritual master with faith and obedience, one is liberated from māyā:** **The Personality of Godhead said: My dear mother, the path of self-realization which I have already instructed to you is very easy. You can execute this system without difficulty, and by following it you shall very soon be liberated, even within your present body.** PURPORT: Devotional service is so perfect that simply by following the rules and regulations and executing them under the direction of the spiritual master, one is liberated, as it is said herein, from the clutches of *māyā, *even in this body. In other yogic processes, or in empiric philosophical speculation, one is never certain whether or not he is at the perfectional stage. But in the discharge of devotional service, if one has unflinching faith in the instruction of the bona fide spiritual master and follows the rules and regulations, he is sure to be liberated, even within this present body. Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī, in the *Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu, *has also confirmed this. *Īhā yasya harer dāsye: *anyone whose only aim is to serve the Supreme Lord under the direction of the spiritual master, regardless of where he is situated, is called *jīvan-mukta, *or one who is liberated even with his material body. *— *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam *[[sb/3/33/10|3.33.10]]* **To become purified from the influence of material nature, one must worship the Lord under the guidance of the bona fide spiritual master:** All the conditioned souls are impure due to contact with the material energy in three modes of nature. Therefore it is necessary that they purify themselves under the guidance of the bona fide spiritual master, who not only is a *brāhmaṇa *by qualification but must also be a Vaiṣṇava. The only self-purifying process mentioned herein is to worship the Lord under the recognized method—under the guidance of the bona fide spiritual master. That is the natural way of purification, and no other method is recommended as bona fide. The other methods of purification may be helpful to come to this stage of life, but ultimately one has to come to this last point before he attains actual perfection. *— *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam *[[sb/3/6/34|3.6.34]]* **By following the instructions of the bona fide spiritual master the disciple attains knowledge and detachment:** By following the instructions of the bona fide spiritual master in conjunction with the principles of revealed scriptures, the student will rise to the plane of complete knowledge, which will be exhibited by development of detachment from the world of sense gratification. *— *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam *[[sb/2/9/37|2.9.37]]* ### 9. The Spiritual Master Solves the Problems of Life **To solve the problems of life, one must approach a spiritual master:** > kārpaṇya-doṣopahata-svabhāvaḥ pṛcchāmi tvaṁ dharma-sammudha-cetaḥ yac chreyaḥ syān niścitaṁ brūhi tan me śiṣyas te 'haṁ śādhi māṁ tvāṁ prapannam **Now I am confused about my duty and have lost all composure because of weakness. In this condition I am asking You to tell me clearly what is best for me. Now I am Your disciple, and a soul surrendered unto You. Please instruct me.** PURPORT: By nature's own way the complete system of material activities is a source of perplexity for everyone. In every step there is perplexity, and therefore it behooves one to approach a bona fide spiritual master who can give one proper guidance for executing the purpose of life. All Vedic literatures advise us to approach a bona fide spiritual master to get free from the perplexities of life which happen without our desire. They are like a forest fire that somehow blazes without being set by anyone. Similarly, the world situation is such that perplexities of life automatically appear, without our wanting such confusion. No one wants fire, and yet it takes place, and we become perplexed. The Vedic wisdom therefore advises that in order to solve the perplexities of life and to understand the science of the solution, one must approach a spiritual master who is in the disciplic succession. A person with a bona fide spiritual master is supposed to know everything. One should not, therefore, remain in material perplexities but should approach a spiritual master. *— Bhagavad-gītā As It Is [[bg/2/7|2.7]]* **Only the spiritual master can solve the problems of life:** **TRANSLATION I can find no means to drive away this grief which is drying up my senses. I will not be able to destroy it even if I win an unrivaled kingdom on the earth with sovereignty like that of the demigods in heaven.** PURPORT: Although Arjuna was putting forward so many arguments based on knowledge of the principles of religion and moral codes, it appears that he was unable to solve his real problem without the help of the spiritual master, Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa. He could understand that his so-called knowledge was useless in driving away his problems, which were drying up his whole existence; and it was impossible for him to solve such perplexities without the help of a spiritual master like Lord Kṛṣṇa. Academic knowledge, scholarship, high position, etc., are all useless in solving the problems of life; help can only be given by a spiritual master like Kṛṣṇa. Therefore, the conclusion is that a spiritual master who is one hundred percent Kṛṣṇa conscious is the bona fide spiritual master, for he can solve the problems of life.... The problems of material existence—birth, old age, disease and death—cannot be counteracted by accumulation of wealth and economic development. In many parts of the world there are states which are replete with all facilities of life, which are full of wealth, and economically developed, yet the problems of material existence are still present. They are seeking peace in different ways, but they can achieve real happiness only if they consult Kṛṣṇa, or the *Bhagavad-gītā *and *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam—*which constitute the science of Kṛṣṇa—or the bona fide representative of Kṛṣṇa, the man in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. *— Bhagavad-gītā As It Is [[bg/2/8|2.8]]* **To solve the problems of material existence, an intelligent person must accept a bona fide spiritual master and inquire from him:** The living entity's evolution through different types of bodies is conducted automatically by the laws of nature in bodies other than those of human beings. In other words, by the laws of nature *(prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni* [Bg [[bg/3/27|3.27]]]*) *the living entity evolves from lower grades of life to the human form. Because of his developed consciousness, however, the human being must understand the constitutional position of the living entity and understand why he must accept a material body. This chance is given to him by nature, but if he nonetheless acts like an animal, what is the benefit of his human life? In this life one must select the goal of life and act accordingly. Having received instructions from the spiritual master and the *śāstra, *one must be sufficiently intelligent. In the human form of life, one should not remain foolish and ignorant, but must inquire about his constitutional position. This is called [[sb/4/25/26|athāto brahma-jijñāsā]]*. *The human psychology gives rise to many questions, which various philosophers have considered and answered with various types of philosophy based upon mental concoction. This is not the way of liberation. The Vedic instructions say, *tad-vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum evābhigacchet:** *[MU 1.2.12]* *to solve the problems of life, one must accept a spiritual master. *Tasmād guruṁ prapadyeta jijñāsuḥ śreya uttamam:* [SB [[sb/11/3/21|11.3.21]]]* *if one is actually serious in inquiring about the solution to material existence, one must approach a bona fide *guru.... *One must approach a bona fide spiritual master by surrendering himself (*praṇipātena*)* *and rendering service. An intelligent person must inquire from the spiritual master about the goal of life. A bona fide spiritual master can answer all such questions because he has seen the real truth. Even in ordinary activities, we first consider gain and loss, and then we act. Similarly, an intelligent person must consider the entire process of material existence and then act intelligently, following the directions of the bona fide spiritual master. *— *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam *[[sb/7/7/47|7.7.47]]* **To solve the problems of life, one must humbly approach a spiritual master and inquire from him:** **The sage Śukadeva Gosvāmī sat perfectly pacified, intelligent and ready to answer any question without hesitation. The great devotee, Mahārāja Parīkṣit, approached him, offered his respects by bowing before him, and politely inquired with sweet words and folded hands.** PURPORT: The gesture now adopted by Mahārāja Parīkṣit of questioning a master is quite befitting in terms of scriptural injunctions. The scriptural injunction is that one should humbly approach a spiritual master to understand the transcendental science. Mahārāja Parīkṣit was now prepared for meeting his death, and within the very short time of seven days he was to know the process of entering the kingdom of God. In such important cases, one is required to approach a spiritual master. There is no necessity of approaching a spiritual master unless one is in need of solving the problems of life. One who does not know how to put questions before the spiritual master has no business seeing him. *— *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam *[[sb/1/19/31|1.19.31]]* ### 10. To Learn the Art of Devotional Service, One Must Approach a Spiritual Master **It is the duty of every man to approach a spiritual master and to learn the process of devotional service from him:** > sarva-desa-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 approach the bona fide spiritual master, question him about devotional service and listen to him explain the process."** *— Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta *Madhya-līlā *[[cc/madhya/25/122|25.122]]* **** One** **must be trained in devotional service by a spiritual master:**** In *Bhagavad-gītā* ([[bg/7/1|7.1]])* *the Lord recommends, *mayy āsakta-manāḥ pārtha yogaṁ yuñjan mad-āśrayaḥ. *This indicates that one must execute devotional service under the guidance of a devotee or directly under the guidance of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. It is not possible, however, to train oneself without guidance from the spiritual master. Therefore, according to the instructions of Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī, the first business of a devotee is to accept a bona fide spiritual master who can train him to engage his various senses in rendering transcendental service to the Lord. *— *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam *9.4.18-20* **To learn the instructions of devotional service, the neophyte devotee must approach the number one Bhāgavata, the personality of devotee:** A third-class devotee has to receive the instructions of devotional service from the authoritative sources of *Bhāgavata. *The number one *Bhāgavata* is the established personality of devotee, and the other *Bhāgavatam* is the message of Godhead. The third-class devotee therefore has to go to the personality of devotee in order to learn the instructions of devotional service. Such a personality of devotee is not a professional man who earns his livelihood by the business of *Bhāgavatam. *Such a devotee must be a representative of Śukadeva Gosvāmī, like Sūta Gosvāmī, and must preach the cult of devotional service for the all-around benefit of all people. *— *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam *[[sb/1/2/12|1.2.12]]* **To understand devotional service, one must accept, and inquire from, a Vaiṣṇava guru:** If one wants to learn the meaning of *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, *one must take lessons from a realized soul. One should not proudly think that one can understand the transcendental loving service of the Lord simply by reading books. One must become a servant of a Vaiṣṇava. As Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura has confirmed, *chāḍiyā vaiṣṇava-sevā nistāra pāyeche kebā: *one cannot be in a transcendental position unless one very faithfully serves a pure Vaiṣṇava. One must accept a Vaiṣṇava *guru (ādau gurv-āśrayam), *and then by questions and answers one should gradually learn what pure devotional service to Kṛṣṇa is. That is called the *paramparā *system. *— Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta *Antya-līlā *[[cc/antya/7/53|7.53]]* **How, by associating with a pure devotee and accepting him as spiritual master, one advances to the ultimate perfection of devotional service:** The influence of a pure devotee is such that if someone comes to associate with him with a little faith, he gets the chance of hearing about the Lord from authoritative scriptures like the *Bhagavad-gītā *and *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. *Thus, by the mercy of the Lord, who is situated in everyone's heart, one gradually develops his faith in the descriptions of such authoritative scriptures. This is the first stage of association with pure devotees. In the second stage, after one becomes a little advanced and mature, he automatically offers to follow the principles of devotional service under the guidance of the pure devotee and accepts him as the spiritual master. In the next stage, under the guidance of the spiritual master, the devotee executes regulative devotional service, and, as a result of such activities, he becomes freed from all unwanted occupations, his faith becomes steadily fixed, and he develops a transcendental taste for devotional service, then attachment, then ecstasies, and in the last stage there is pure love of Godhead. These are the different stages of the development of pure love. *— The Nectar of Devotion* **Abandoning speculative logic, a devotee must let himself be guided by an expert spiritual master in a specific manner of devotional service, according to his tendency:** If one develops love for Kṛṣṇa by Kṛṣṇa conscious activities, one can know the Supreme Absolute Truth, but he who tries to understand God simply by logical arguments will not succeed, nor will he get a taste for unalloyed devotion. The secret is that one must submissively listen to those who know perfectly the science of God, and one must begin the mode of service regulated by the preceptor. A devotee already attracted by the name, form, qualities, etc., of the Supreme Lord may be directed to his specific manner of devotional service; he need not waste time in approaching the Lord through logic. The expert spiritual master knows well how to engage his disciple's energy in the transcendental loving service of the Lord, and thus he engages a devotee in a specific devotional service according to his special tendency. *— Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta *Ādi-līlā *[[cc/adi/1/35|1.35]]* **By practicing bhakti-yoga under the direction of a spiritual master, one attains love of God:** To practice the regulative principles of *bhakti-yoga *one should, under the guidance of an expert spiritual master, follow certain principles: one should rise early in the morning, take bath, enter the temple and offer prayers and chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, then collect flowers to offer to the Deity, cook foodstuffs to offer to the Deity, take *prasāda, *and so on. There are various rules and regulations which one should follow. And one should constantly hear *Bhagavad-gītā *and *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam *from pure devotees. This practice can help anyone to rise to the level of love of God, and then he is sure of his progress into the spiritual kingdom of God. This practice of *bhakti-yoga, *under the rules and regulations, with the direction of a spiritual master, will surely bring one to the stage of love of God. *— Bhagavad-gītā As It Is [[bg/12/9|12.9]]* **To act under the spiritual master's direction with a motive to satisfy Kṛṣṇa is pure devotional service:** In the conditioned stage, when one engages in devotional service, he should follow the instruction of the bona fide spiritual master in full surrender. The spiritual master is the manifested representation of the Supreme Lord because he receives and presents the instructions of the Lord, as they are, by disciplic succession. It is described in *Bhagavad-gītā *that the teachings therein should be received by disciplic succession, otherwise there is adulteration. To act under the direction of a bona fide spiritual master with a motive to satisfy the Supreme Personality of Godhead is pure devotional service. *— *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam *[[sb/3/29/8|3.29.8]]* **The neophyte must be trained in devotional service under the direction of the spiritual master to attain the ultimate goal of life:** **By service of the Absolute Truth, even for a few days, a devotee attains firm and fixed intelligence in Me. Consequently he goes on to become My associate in the transcendental world after giving up the present deplorable material worlds.** PURPORT: Serving the Absolute Truth means rendering service unto the Absolute Personality of Godhead under the direction of the bona fide spiritual master, who is a transparent via medium between the Lord and the neophyte devotee. The neophyte devotee has no ability to approach the Absolute Personality of Godhead by the strength of his present imperfect material senses, and therefore under the direction of the spiritual master he is trained in transcendental service of the Lord. And by such training, even for some days, the neophyte devotee gets intelligence in such transcendental service, which leads him ultimately to get free from perpetual inhabitation in the material worlds and to be promoted to the transcendental world to become one of the liberated associates of the Lord in the kingdom of God. *— *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam *[[sb/1/6/23|1.6.23]]* **In an advanced stage of devotional service, one transcends the regulative principles and, through his spiritual master, engages in spontaneous devotional service to Kṛṣṇa:** Externally a devotee performs all the items of devotional service—*śravaṇa *and *kīrtana—*in nine different ways, and within his mind he always thinks of his eternal relationship with Kṛṣṇa and follows in the footsteps of the devotees of Vṛndāvana. If one engages himself in the service of Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa in this way, he can transcend the regulative principles enjoined in the *śāstras *and, through his spiritual master, fully engage in rendering spontaneous love to Kṛṣṇa. In this way, he attains affection at the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa actually comes under the control of such spontaneous feelings, and ultimately one can attain association with the Lord. *— Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta *Madhya-līlā *[[cc/madhya/22/165|22.165]]* **How the disciple attains spiritual perfection by taking shelter of a spiritual master:** One's first duty is to approach the spiritual master, the representative of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, to begin rendering service to him. Prahlāda Mahārāja proposed that from the very beginning of life *(kaumāra ācaret prājñaḥ*) a small child should be trained to serve the spiritual master while living at the *guru-kula. Brahmacārī guru-kule vasan dānto guror hitam* (*Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam* [[sb/7/12/1|7.12.1]]). This is the beginning of spiritual life. *Guru-padāśrayaḥ, sādhu-vartmānuvartanam, sad-dharma-pṛcchā.* By following the instructions of the *guru *and the *śāstras, *the disciple attains the stage of devotional service and becomes unattached to possessions. Whatever he possesses he offers to the spiritual master, the *guru, *who engages him in *śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ* [SB 7.5.23]*. *The disciple follows strictly and in this way learns how to control his senses. Then, by using his pure intelligence, he gradually becomes a lover of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, as confirmed by Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī (*ādau śraddhā tataḥ sādhu-saṅgaḥ*). In this way one's life becomes perfect, and his attachment for Kṛṣṇa becomes positively manifested. In that stage, he is situated in ecstasy, experiencing *bhāva *and *anubhāva.* *— *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam* [[sb/7/7/33|7.7.33]]* ### 11. For Success in Spiritual Life, One Requires a Spiritual Master **For success in spiritual life, one must take shelter of a bona fide spiritual master:** Even for a king like Mahārāja Parīkṣit there was need of a spiritual master for guidance. Without such guidance one cannot make progress in spiritual life. The spiritual master must be bona fide, and one who wants to have self-realization must approach and take shelter of a bona fide spiritual master to achieve real success. *— *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam* [[sb/1/16/3|1.16.3]]* **For spiritual life, a spiritual master is essential:** The principle of accepting a spiritual master ... is essential. Even for one who takes to devotional service, it is most important. Transcendental life begins when one accepts a bona fide spiritual master. The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Śrī Kṛṣṇa, clearly states here that this process of knowledge is the actual path. Anything speculated beyond this is nonsense.... without the instruction of a bona fide spiritual master, one cannot progress in the spiritual science. *— Bhagavad-gītā As It Is [[bg/13/8-12|13.8]]* **To make progress in transcendental science, one must approach a spiritual master who is a realized devotee of the Lord:** A serious devotee must first approach a spiritual master who not only is well versed in the Vedic literatures but is also a great devotee with factual realization of the Lord and His different energies. Without the help of such a devotee spiritual master, one cannot make progress in the transcendental science of the Lord. *— *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam *[[sb/2/4/10|2.4.10]]* **To reach perfection, the common man, who cannot control the mind and senses, must take shelter of a bona fide spiritual master:** Because the common man is unable to control the senses and the mind, it is therefore his duty to seek the shelter of a great soul or a great devotee of the Lord and just try to please him. That will make his life perfect. A common man cannot rise to the topmost stage of spiritual perfection simply by following the rituals and religious principles. He has to take shelter of a bona fide spiritual master and work under his direction faithfully and sincerely; then he becomes perfect without a doubt. *— *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam *[[sb/3/22/6|3.22.6]]* **To make spiritual advancement, one must approach a guru:** **O best of the *brāhmaṇas, *kindly instruct me in the perfect method of worshiping the Supreme Personality of Godhead in devotional service, by which the Lord may very soon be pleased with me and save me, along with my sons, from this most dangerous condition.** PURPORT: Sometimes less intelligent men ask whether one has to approach a *guru *to be instructed in devotional service for spiritual advancement. The answer is given here—indeed, not only here, but also in *Bhagavad-gītā, *where Arjuna accepted Kṛṣṇa as his *guru* (*śisyas te 'haṁ śādhi māṁ tvāṁ prapannam* [*Bg* [[bg/2/7|2.7]]]). The *Vedas *also instruct, *tad-vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum evābhigacchet:** *[MU 1.2.12]* *one must accept a *guru *for proper direction if one is seriously inclined toward advancement in spiritual life. The Lord says that one must worship the *ācārya, *who is the representative of the Supreme Personality of Godhead (*ācāryaṁ māṁ vijānīyāt** *[*SB* [[sb/11/17/27|11.17.27]]]). One should definitely understand this. In *Caitanya-caritāmṛta *it is said that the *guru* is the manifestation of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Therefore, according to all the evidence given by the *śāstra *and by the practical behavior of devotees, one must accept a *guru. *Aditi accepted her husband as her *guru,* so that he would direct her how to advance in spiritual consciousness, devotional service, by worshiping the Supreme Lord. *— *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam* [[sb/8/16/23|8.16.23]]* **** One** **can get relief from all obstacles to spiritual life and be situated in blissful life only when one's mind is completely surrendered to the lotus feet of the spiritual master:**** Śrīpāda Śrīdhara Svāmī has composed a nice verse in which he says, "O all-merciful spiritual master, representative of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, when will my mind be completely surrendered unto your lotus feet? At that time only, by your mercy, I shall be able to get relief from all obstacles to spiritual life, and I shall be situated in blissful life." *— Kṛṣṇa* ****One** **who, out of pride, does not accept a spiritual master, can never go back to Godhead:**** One should always remember that a person who is reluctant to accept a spiritual master and be initiated is sure to be baffled in his endeavor to go back to Godhead. One who is not properly initiated may present himself as a great devotee, but in fact he is sure to encounter many stumbling blocks on his path of progress toward spiritual realization, with the result that he must continue his term of material existence without relief. Such a helpless person is compared to a ship without a rudder, for such a ship can never reach its destination. It is imperative, therefore, that one accept a spiritual master if he at all desires to gain the favor of the Lord. The service of the spiritual master is essential.... If one thinks that he is above consulting anyone else, including a spiritual master, he is at once an offender at the lotus feet of the Lord. Such an offender can never go back to Godhead. *— Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta Ā*di-līlā* [[cc/adi/1/35|1.35]]* **To understand the purpose of spiritual life, one must act with reference to sādhu, śāstra and guru:** Śrīla Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura advises, *sādhu-śāstra-guru-vākya, cittete kariyā aikya. *The meaning of this instruction is that one must consider the instructions of the *sādhu, *the revealed scriptures and the spiritual master in order to understand the real purpose of spiritual life. Neither a *sādhu *(saintly person or Vaiṣṇava) nor a bona fide spiritual master says anything that is beyond the scope of the sanction of the revealed scriptures. Thus the statements of the revealed scriptures correspond to those of the bona fide spiritual master and saintly persons. One must therefore act with reference to these three important sources of understanding. *— Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta Ā*di-līlā* [[cc/adi/7/48|7.48]]* ### 12. To Attain Kṛṣṇa Consciousness, One Must Accept a Spiritual Master **To attain Kṛṣṇa consciousness, one must surrender to the lotus feet of a bona fide spiritual master:** One should, by deliberate consideration, raise himself to the platform of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. To attain such an end, one must touch the lotus feet of the spiritual master. Kṛṣṇa consciousness cannot be achieved by self-endeavor. One must therefore approach a self-realized Kṛṣṇa conscious person and touch his lotus feet.... One cannot come to the precincts of Kṛṣṇa consciousness unless he touches the dust of the lotus feet of a person who has become a *mahātmā, *a great devotee. This is the beginning of the surrendering process. Lord Kṛṣṇa wants everyone to surrender unto Him, and this surrendering process begins when one touches the lotus feet of a bona fide spiritual master. By sincerely rendering service to a bona fide spiritual master, one begins his spiritual life in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Touching the lotus feet of a spiritual master means giving up one's false prestige and unnecessarily puffed-up position in the material world. Those who remain in the darkness of material existence due to their falsely prestigious positions—so-called scientists and philosophers—are actually atheists. They do not know the ultimate cause of everything. Although bewildered, they are not ready to surrender themselves to the lotus feet of a person who knows things in their proper perspective. In other words, one cannot arouse Kṛṣṇa consciousness simply by his own mental speculation. One must surrender to a bona fide spiritual master. Only this process will help him. *— *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam *[[sb/4/26/20|4.26.20]]* **** One** **develops his Kṛṣṇa consciousness proportionately to his association with a spiritual master:**** In the human form of life, because of developed consciousness (*cetanam*), one can be transferred from ignorance and passion to goodness by the results of his activities (*kriyā-phalatvena*). A human being is therefore advised to associate with spiritually advanced personalities. The *Vedas *give the direction *tad-vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum evābhigacchet:** *[MU 1.2.12]* *in order to reach the perfection of life or to understand the real constitutional position of the living entity, one must approach the spiritual master (*Muṇḍaka Upanisad *1.2.12). *Gurum evābhigacchet—*one *must*; it is not optional. It is imperative that one approach the spiritual master, for by such association one proportionately develops his consciousness towards the Supreme Personality of Godhead. *— *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam *[[sb/4/21/35|4.21.35]]* **To become free from sin and to revive one's original Kṛṣṇa consciousness, one must serve a mahātmā spiritual master:** **My dear King, if a sinful person engages in the service of a bona fide devotee of the Lord and thus learns how to dedicate his life unto the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa, he can be completely purified. One cannot be purified merely by undergoing austerity, penance, *brahmacarya *and the other methods of atonement I have previously described.** PURPORT: *Tat-puruṣa *refers to a preacher of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, such as the spiritual master. Śri1a Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura has said, *chāḍiyā vaiṣṇava-sevā nistāra pāyeche kebā: *"Without serving a bona fide spiritual master, an ideal Vaiṣṇava, who can be delivered from the clutches of *māyā?" *This idea is also expressed in many other places. *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam* ([[sb/5/5/2|5.5.2]]) says, *mahat-sevāṁ dvāram āhur vimukteḥ: *if one desires liberation from the clutches of *māyā, *one must associate with a pure devotee *mahātmā.* A* mahātmā* is* *one who engages twenty-four hours daily in the loving service of the Lord.... Thus the symptom of a *mahātmā* is* *that he has no engagement other than service to Kṛṣṇa. One must render service to a Vaiṣṇava in order to get freed from sinful reactions, revive one's original Kṛṣṇa consciousness and be trained in how to love Kṛṣṇa. This is the result of *mahātma-sevā. *Of course, if one engages in the service of a pure devotee, the reactions of one's sinful life are vanquished automatically. Devotional service is necessary not to drive away an insignificant stock of sins, but to awaken our dormant love for Kṛṣṇa. As fog is vanquished at the first glimpse of sunlight, one's sinful reactions are automatically vanquished as soon as one begins serving a pure devotee; no separate endeavor is required. *— *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam *[[sb/6/1/16|6.1.16]]* **To increase attachment to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, one must approach a bona fide spiritual master and inquire from him about the process of devotional service:** For work in devotional service the first item is *ādau gurvāśrayam: *one should accept a bona fide spiritual master, and from the bona fide spiritual master (*sad-dharma-pṛcchā*) inquire about his transcendental occupational duties *(sādhu-mārga-anugamanam*) and follow in the footsteps of great saintly persons, devotees. These are the instructions given in *Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu *by Rūpa Gosvāmī. The conclusion is that to increase attachment for the Supreme Personality of Godhead one has to accept a bona fide spiritual master and learn from him the methods of devotional service and hear from him about the transcendental message and glorification of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. In this way one has to increase his conviction about devotional service. Then it will be very easy to increase attachment for the Supreme Personality of Godhead. *— *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam *[[sb/4/22/22|4.22.22]]* **Service of the devotees of the Lord frees one from miserable material conditions and brings one love of God:** In the Third Canto, Seventh Chapter, [[sb/3/7/19|19th verse]], of the *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam *[it is said], "Let me become a sincere servant of the devotees because by serving them one can achieve unalloyed devotional service unto the lotus feet of the Lord. The service of devotees diminishes all miserable material conditions and develops within one a deep devotional love for the Supreme Personality of Godhead." *— The Nectar of Devotion* **How, by following the instructions of the spiritual master, the disciple attains Kṛṣṇa consciousness:** As one advances in devotional activities, the process becomes progressively clearer and more encouraging. Unless one gets this spiritual encouragement by following the instructions of the spiritual master, it is not possible to make advancement. Therefore, one's development of a taste for executing these instructions is the test of one's devotional service. Initially, one must develop confidence by hearing the science of devotion from a qualified spiritual master. Then, as he associates with devotees and tries to adopt the means instructed by the spiritual master in his own life, his misgivings and other obstacles are vanquished by his execution of devotional service. Strong attachment for the transcendental service of the Lord develops as he continues listening to the messages of Godhead, and if he steadfastly proceeds in this way, he is certainly elevated to spontaneous love of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. *— Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta *Ādi-līlā *[[cc/adi/1/60|1.60]]* **** One** **who surrenders to the Lord under the direction of the Lord's servant, the spiritual master, is immediately purified and becomes eligible to go back to Godhead:**** If one seriously accepts the lotus feet of the Lord, he is purified by the grace of the Lord and by the grace of the Lord's servant.... One who is brought under the lotus feet of the Lord by the endeavor of the Lord's servant, the spiritual master, is certainly immediately purified, however lowborn he may be. He becomes eligible to return home, back to Godhead. *— *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam *[[sb/4/30/41|4.30.41]]* ### 13. Other Important Reasons for Accepting a Bona Fide Spiritual Master **Any person desiring real happiness must take shelter of a bona fide spiritual master:** In the Eleventh Canto of *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, *Prabuddha tells Mahārāja Nimi: "My dear King, please know for certain that in the material world there is no happiness. It is simply a mistake to think that there is happiness here, because this place is full of nothing but miserable conditions. Any person who is seriously desirous of achieving real happiness must seek out a bona fide spiritual master and take shelter of him by initiation." *— The Nectar of Devotion* **Only one out of millions of living entities gets the fortunate opportunity of associating with a bona fide spiritual master:** > brahmāṇḍa bhramite kona bhāgyavān jīva guru-krṣṇa-prasāde pāya bhakti-latā-bīja **"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."** PURPORT: When we speak of *brahmāṇḍa, *we refer to the whole universe, or to the cluster of many millions of universes. In all universes, there are innumerable planets and innumerable living entities upon those planets in the air and in the water. There are millions and trillions of living entities everywhere, and they are engaged by *māyā *in suffering and enjoying the results of their fruitive activity life after life. This is the position of the materially conditioned living entities. Out of many of these living entities, if one is actually fortunate *(bhāgyavān), *he comes in contact with a bona fide spiritual master by Kṛṣṇa's mercy. *— Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta *Madhya-līlā* [[cc/madhya/19/151|19.151]]* **To act in yoga requires surrender to the servant of Kṛṣṇa:** **Be steadfast in *yoga, *O Arjuna. Perform your duty and abandon all attachment to success or failure. Such evenness of mind is called *yoga.*** PURPORT: The following of Kṛṣṇa's dictation is real *yoga, *and this is practiced in the process called Kṛṣṇa consciousness. By Kṛṣṇa consciousness only can one give up the sense of proprietorship. One has to become the servant of Kṛṣṇa, or the servant of the servant of Kṛṣṇa [*Cc Madhya* [[cc/madhya/13/80|13.80]]]. That is the right way to discharge duty in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, which alone can help one to act in *yoga.* *— Bhagavad-gītā As It Is [[bg/2/48|2.48]]* **The spiritual master is one who solves all confusion:** **Śrīla Prabhupāda: **...In a chaotic condition, in a confused state of life, one should approach another, who is in full knowledge of the matter. You go to a lawyer to solve legal problems, and you go to a physician to solve medical problems. Everyone in the material world is confused about spiritual identity. It is therefore our duty to approach a bona fide spiritual master, who can give us real knowledge. **Mr.** **O'Grady: **I am very confused. **Śrīla Prabhupāda: **So you must approach a spiritual master. **Mr.** **O'Grady: **And he makes a decision on how to help me stop this confusion? **Śrīla Prabhupāda: **Yes, the spiritual master is one who solves all confusion. If the spiritual master cannot save his disciple from confusion, he is not a spiritual master. That is the test. > saṁsāra-dāvānala-līdha-loka- trāṇāya kāruṇya-ghanāghanatvam prāptasya kalyāṇa-guṇārṇavasya vande guroḥ śrī-caraṇāravindam This whole confused world is just like a blazing forest fire. In a forest fire all the animals are confused. They do not know where to go to save their lives. In the blazing fire of the material world, everyone is confused. How can that blazing forest fire be extinguished? It is not possible to utilize your man-made fire brigade, nor is it possible to simply pour buckets of water. The solution comes when rain from the clouds falls on the forest fire. Only then can the fire be extinguished. That ability is not in your hands, but is in the mercy of God. So human society is in a confused state, and it cannot find a solution. The spiritual master is one who has received the mercy of God, and he can deliver the solution to the confused man. One who has received the mercy of God can become a spiritual master and deliver that mercy to others. *— The Science of Self-Realization* **Even demons can be elevated to the supreme goal under the guidance of a spiritual master:** The Lord forces [demons] to take birth in the womb of demoniac persons. Consequently they will live by demoniac principles life after life without knowing their relationship with the Supreme Personality of Godhead. If, however, such persons are fortunate enough to be guided by a spiritual master who can direct them to the path of Vedic wisdom, they can get out of this entanglement and ultimately achieve the supreme goal. *— Bhagavad-gītā As It Is [[bg/17/5 bg 17.6 bg 17.5-6|17.5-6]]* **Puffed-up, independent-minded persons do not seek the protection of a bona fide spiritual master:** A person who is puffed up by so-called education and who has no humility does not seek the protection of a bona fide spiritual master. He thinks that he does not require a spiritual master and that he can achieve the highest perfection by his own efforts.... Those who are under the spell of material energy do not follow the instructions of the disciplic succession but try to manufacture something of their own and thereby step outside the sphere of Vedānta study. A bona fide spiritual master must always condemn such independent mental speculators. *— Teachings of Lord Caitanya* ****One** **can meditate only under the direction of a bona fide spiritual master:**** **After that, under the shadow of a banyan tree in an uninhabited forest I began to meditate upon the Supersoul situated within, using my intelligence, as I had learned from liberated souls.** PURPORT: One should not meditate according to one's personal whims. One should know perfectly well from the authoritative sources of scriptures through the transparent medium of a bona fide spiritual master and by proper use of one's trained intelligence for meditating upon the Supersoul dwelling within every living being. This consciousness is firmly developed by a devotee who has rendered loving service unto the Lord by carrying out the orders of the spiritual master. Śrī Nāradajī contacted bona fide spiritual masters, served them sincerely and got enlightenment rightly. Thus he began to meditate. *— *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam* [[sb/1/6/15|1.6.15]]*