Winter 2005/6
| We should be very careful before accepting a Guru |
"The sastras enjoin that before we take a guru we study him carefully to find out whether we can surrender to him. We should not accept a guru suddenly, out of fanaticism. That is very dangerous."
(The Science of Self Realization, chapter 2, 'Choosing a Spiritual Master')
| Ambition to be Guru is very dangerous |
"Our mission is to serve (...).
Not that you take the place of the guru. That is nonsense, very dangerous. Then everything will be spoiled. As soon as you become ambitious to take the place of guru-gurusu nara-matih . That is the material disease."
(Srila Prabhupada Conversation, April 20, 1977)"That is the difficulty. Everyone sees that "Some way or other, I become guru. Then so many persons will offer me respect. Somehow or other, create some situation. Then I become guru."
This is going on. Not bona fide guru. (...)
They will drink, they will hunt after woman and have some attractive singing or dancing and become guru. What is meaning of guru, they do not know. Somehow or other become popular and become guru. This is going on."
(Srila Prabhupada Conversation, May 2nd, 1976)
| One who is disobedient to the order of the Guru cannot be a Guru |
"If you become disobedient to guru, then your business is finished."
(Srila Prabhupada's Srimad-Bhagavatam Lecture, August 10th, 1974)"Because that is offense. Guror avajna. First offense is guror avajna, defying the authority of guru. This is the first offense. So one who is offensive, how he can make advance in chanting? He cannot make. Then everything is finished in the beginning. Guroravajna. Everything is there. If one is disobeying the spiritual master, he cannot remain in the pure status of life. He cannot be siksa-guru or anything else. He is finished, immediately."
(Srila Prabhupada's Bhagavad-gita Lecture, July 4th, 1974)"The devotee must therefore be very careful not to commit offenses against the spiritual master by disobeying his instructions. As soon as one is deviated from the instructions of the spiritual master, the uprooting of the bhakti-lata begins, and gradually all the leaves dry up."
(Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Madhya-lila, 19.156, purport)
| Beware of false, unauthorised Gurus |
"By a false display of religious sentiments, they present a show of devotional service while indulging in all sorts of immoral activities. In this way they pass as spiritual masters and devotees of God. Such violators of religious principles have no respect for the authoritative acaryas, the holy teachers in the strict disciplic succession (...)
Instead, to mislead the people in general, they themselves become so-called acaryas, but do not even follow the principles of the acaryas."
(Sri Isopanisad, mantra 12, purport)"One cannot become happy by accepting a false guru. A guru should be accepted as advised in Srimad Bhagavatam (11.3.21). Tasmad gurum prapadyeta jijnasuh sreya uttamam: One should approach a bona fide guru to inquire about the highest benefit of life. (...)
If one is able to obtain the dust of the lotus feet of such a guru, his life becomes successful. Otherwise he is baffled both in this life and in the next."
(Srimad-Bhagavatam 5.14.13, purport)"The misguided conditioned soul also approaches so-called sadhus and svamis who preach against the principles of the Vedas. He does not receive benefit from them, either in the present or in the future (...)
To get some material benefit, the conditioned soul approaches these pseudo sannyasis and yogis for cheap blessings, but he does not receive any benefit from them, either spiritual or material."
(Srimad-Bhagavatam 5.14.13, translation and purport)
| Srila Prabhupada warns of jealous people accepting service in ISKCON |
"There are many jealous people in the dress of Vaisnavas in this Krsna consciousness movement, and they should be completely neglected. There is no need to serve a jealous person who is in the dress of a Vaisnava."
(Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Madhya-lila, 1.218 purport)"A jealous person in the dress of a Vaisnava is not at all happy to see the success of another Vaisnava in receiving the Lord's mercy. Unfortunately, in this Age of Kali there are many mundane persons in the dress of Vaisnavas, and Srila BhaktivinodaThakura has described them as disciples of Kali. He says, kali-cela. He indicates that there is another Vaisnava, a pseudo Vaisnava with tilaka on his nose and kanthi beads around his neck. Such a pseudo Vaisnava associates with money and women and is jealous of successful Vaisnavas. Although passing for a Vaisnava, his only business is earning money in the dress of a Vaisnava."
(Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Madhya-lila, 1.218 purport)
| The fate of such false Gurus |
"These rogues are the most dangerous elements in human society. Because there is no religious government, they escape punishment by the law of the state. They cannot, however, escape the law of the Supreme, who has clearly declared in Bhagavad gita (16.19-20) that envious demons in the garb of religious propagandists shall be thrown into the darkest regions of hell. Sri Isopanisad confirms that these pseudo religionists are heading toward the most obnoxious place in the universe after the completion of their spiritual master business, which they conduct simply for sense gratification."
(Sri Isopanisad, mantra 12, purport)