# The Spiritual Master *On the necessity and qualifications of a bona fide guru* --- ### Must Approach a Guru > If you want to know transcendental knowledge or science... "Transcendental" means beyond the scope of your direct perception. So spiritual knowledge is beyond the scope of our sense speculation. Beyond the scope. Therefore, Vedic injunction is not to acquire knowledge by speculation. That is useless. You must approach guru. — [[spoken/1971/710903ba.lon|Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura's Appearance Day Lecture, London, 1971]] --- ### Medical College Analogy > If you simply try to understand what is God by reading scriptures, you cannot achieve. You must approach a guru. Just like a medical book: it can be available in the market. If you purchase one medical book and study and you become doctor, that is not possible. You must hear the medical book from a medical man in the college, medical college. Then you will be qualified. — [[spoken/1971/710903ba.lon|Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura's Appearance Day Lecture, London, 1971]] --- ### Anyone Can Be Guru > Caitanya Mahāprabhu said, kibā vipra, kibā śūdra, nyāsi kene naya, yei kṛṣṇa-tattva-vetta, sei guru haya: "Don't hesitate. Either one may become a brāhmaṇa or one may become a śūdra... It does not matter. Anyone who knows the science of Kṛṣṇa, he can become a guru." This is the verdict. — [[spoken/1971/710903ba.lon|Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura's Appearance Day Lecture, London, 1971]] --- ### Servant of the Servant > If anyone says that "I am guru...," er, "I am God," then he cannot be guru, because he has no knowledge. How he is God? But he can cheat some people... The bona fide guru will say that "I am servant of the servant of the servant of Kṛṣṇa," or God. Servant of. That is the business of guru. — [[spoken/1971/710903ba.lon|Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura's Appearance Day Lecture, London, 1971]] --- ### Repeat the Same Thing > Kṛṣṇa says, Kṛṣṇa desires, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja, that "You give up all other engagement; just surrender unto Me, and I'll give you protection." Kṛṣṇa says. So guru's business is that "You simply surrender to Kṛṣṇa." What is the difficulty? Simply repeat the same thing. Not for himself, but for Kṛṣṇa. He's bona fide guru. — [[spoken/1971/710903ba.lon|Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura's Appearance Day Lecture, London, 1971]] --- ### Grace of Guru > Yasya prasādād bhagavat-prasādaḥ. If spiritual master, ācārya, is pleased, then you should know that Kṛṣṇa is also pleased. Immediately. Yasya prasādāt. By the benediction of the spiritual master we immediately get the blessings of Lord. — [[spoken/1971/710903ba.lon|Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura's Appearance Day Lecture, London, 1971]] --- ### Find Out a Spiritual Master > You must find out seriously a spiritual master who can solve the problems of your life. Saṁsāra dāvānala-līḍha-loka-trāṇāya, that is the first line. Everyone is suffering in the blazing fire of this material existence. And if he is serious to get out of it, he must approach a bona fide spiritual master. That is the injunction of the Veda. — [[spoken/1970/701225sb.sur|Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 6.1.44, Surat, 1970]] --- ### Cannot Overlap the Ācārya > One should seek favor of both of them. Not that "I am now seeking favor of Kṛṣṇa. What is the use of guru or ācārya?" No. You cannot overlap ācārya and go to Kṛṣṇa. That is not possible. Kṛṣṇa will not accept you. Just like if you want to see a big man you should go through his secretary, through his orderly, doorkeeper; similarly, our process is ācāryopāsanam, go through the ācārya. — [[spoken/1971/710903ba.lon|Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura's Appearance Day Lecture, London, 1971]] --- ### Guidance After Death > Just like Kṛṣṇa is guiding us, similarly, spiritual master will guide. We are being guided by Kṛṣṇa, by the Bhagavad-gītā. Although Kṛṣṇa is not physically present, so-called... Kṛṣṇa is present always. But even if we say that Kṛṣṇa is not physically present as He was present before Arjuna, still, His book, Bhagavad-gītā, is there. And that Bhagavad-gītā is nondifferent from Kṛṣṇa. — [[spoken/1971/710903ba.lon|Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura's Appearance Day Lecture, London, 1971]] --- ### Does Not Change Kṛṣṇa's Words > To find out a bona fide guru means that he does not change the words of Kṛṣṇa. That is his position. He places everything as it is, and he has understood thoroughly the science. Those who are inquisitive to understand first-class knowledge, he requires to go to a guru. — [[spoken/1971/710903ba.lon|Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura's Appearance Day Lecture, London, 1971]] --- *10 quotes from Śrīla Prabhupāda on the spiritual master* [[wiki/quotes|Back to Quotes]]