Subject: The madhyama-adhikārī should not touch the demons. Because maybe, he may turn again, be demon. Therefore, one should be very careful to associate with the demons.
This is a first-class lecture delivered by Srila Prabhupada on Dec 13th, 1972 Ahmedabad India, where he covers all the main points of Krsna Consciousness.
The madhyama-adhikārī should not touch the demons. Because maybe, he may turn again, be demon. Therefore, one should be very careful to associate with the demons.
The jñāna-rūpa, torchlight, he’s guru. So maybe of different degrees, but anyone who opens the spiritual eyes, he’s guru. So… But in the śāstra it is said, gurur api kāryākāryakam ajānataḥ. If I accept some guru, but if later on it appears that he did not know what is to be done, what is to be not to be done, then Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī says that such guru: parityāgo vidhīyate. Such guru should be rejected. But it doesn’t matter that degree.
So how this first-class yoga system helps me? Because the other yoga systems, they will disagree, that “Simply by thinking of Kṛṣṇa within one’s heart, how one becomes perfect?” That is explained from the Seventh Chapter of Bhagavad-gītā, how simply by understanding Kṛṣṇa, you become well aware of everything, this yoga system. In the Vedas also it is stated, kasmin tu bhagavo vijñāte sarvam idaṁ vijñātaṁ bhavati. If you, if you simply understand Kṛṣṇa, then you know everything. Kṛṣṇa is the root of everything. Therefore, Kṛṣṇa says, śrī-bhagavān uvāca.
We should always remember that this Bhagavad-gītā is being spoken by the Supreme Personality of Godhead. So, no more better authority. And God is speaking about Himself. Otherwise, by speculation you cannot understand God. “A person who has got little favor,” athāpi te deva padāmbu…, “little favor from the lotus feet of Your Lordship, he,” jānāti tattvam, “he knows what is tattva, what is the Absolute Truth.” Athāpi te deva padāmbuja-dvaya-prasāda-leśānu…, prasāda-leśa: Little favor, not all. Prasāda-leśānugṛhīta eva hi jānāti tattvam, na ca anya ciraṁ vicinvan. Others may go on speculating for years and years. It is not possible to understand. And similarly, in the Brahma-saṁhitā, another Vedic literature, it is said, panthās tu koṭi-śata-vatsara-sampragamyo vāyor athāpi manaso muni-puṅgavānām [Bs. 5.34]. Muni-puṅgavānām, great saintly persons, sages, if they travel for millions of years… Panthās tu koṭi-śata-vatsara. Koṭi, again multiplied by hundreds and hundreds. Vāyor athāpi, on the airplane of air. Not this metal airplane, but actually air airplane or by the airplane of mind. Mind speed, we know. Mind can run within a second many thousands of miles, immediately. Suppose I am sitting here. So, I have got my apartment in Los Angeles, ten thousand miles away. I can immediately go… This is called mind-speed. So, with the mind speed, with the velocity of air, if one runs on, to find out the Kṛṣṇa planet, or Kṛṣṇa, still, avicintya-tattva, still, it is inconceivable tattva.
Govinda is very, very difficult to understand by mental speculation, philosophical theses. Philosophical theses, speculation, without religion is simply waste of time. And religion without philosophical basis is sentiment. They must be combined together.
So Bhagavad-gītā is that, religion combined with philosophy. If you simply take philosophy, it is dry speculation. No juice. Carvita-carvaṇānām: “Chewing the chewed.” There is no benefit. And if you take, simply take religion without basis of philosophy, then it is fanaticism. That’s all. So, both should be combined. Religion based on philosophy and logic, that is religion. So that combination is Bhagavad-gītā. So here in the Seventh Chapter, beginning, opening chapter, it is said, bhagavān uvāca. You are searching after God. Now here is God Himself speaking. So recognized God by all sages: Vyāsadeva, Nārada, Asita. And later on, by Rāmānujācārya, by Śaṅkarācārya, by Madhvācārya, by Viṣṇu Svāmī, by Caitanya Mahāprabhu, and then our Guru Mahārāja. So, our method is very simple: evaṁ paramparā-prāptam imaṁ rājarṣayo viduḥ [Bg. 4.2]. So, we accept this paramparā system. I may not know what is God, but because my predecessors, ācāryas, confirm it, the “Here is Bhagavān,” we accept it. That’s all. We save so much trouble by mental speculation. We accept the paramparā system. Therefore… And we get the result. So that is the way.
Now, here, not only the paramparā system… The paramparā system begins from Kṛṣṇa. As Kṛṣṇa says in the Fourth Chapter: imaṁ vivasvate yogaṁ proktavān aham avyayam: [Bg. 4.1] “I spoke first to the sun-god.”.. So if you simply calculate the age of Manu it becomes forty millions of years. So Bhagavad-gītā is not a new theses. It is coming from time immemorial. So Kṛṣṇa is the original preceptor. So here Kṛṣṇa again personally speaking. The authority, personally… Out of compassion and friendship, love to Arjuna, He’s speaking directly to Arjuna. And Arjuna understood Him: the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Paraṁ brahma paraṁ dhāma pavitraṁ paramaṁ bhavān, puruṣam [Bg. 10.12]. Puruṣam. Puruṣam means person. He’s not imperson. Imperson is the, another feature of the person. Brahmaṇaḥ ahaṁ pratiṣṭhā. Kṛṣṇa says that “The brahmajyoti, impersonal Brahman, that is situated upon Me.” Ahaṁ pratiṣṭhā. Just like we are sitting on this platform. This is pratiṣṭhā. Similarly, the brahmajyoti is situated on the person of Kṛṣṇa. The person is the ultimate understanding of the Absolute Truth, not the impersonal feature. That is preliminary understanding or imperfect understanding. There is brahmajyoti. Just like we are experiencing the sunshine. The sunshine is also experience of the sun-god, but it is imperfect understanding. It is not perfect understanding. If you want to understand the sun-god, then you have to penetrate through the sunshine and reach the sun planet. And then, if, if, you are able to see the predominating deity of the sun planet, whose name is Vivasvān… Similarly, the whole material creation is a part of the brahmajyoti. Sarvaṁ khalv idaṁ brahma.
So, you have to penetrate… In the Īśopaniṣad, it is said that, requested, it is requesting the, that “You kindly wind up Your brahmajyoti so can, I can see Your face rightly.” So ultimately, there is person. Tattva-vastu.
vadanti tat tattva-vidastattvaṁ yaj jñānam advayambrahmeti paramātmetibhagavān iti śabdyate [SB 1.2.11]
This is the version of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. So, Brahman realization is for the persons who are trying to understand the Absolute Truth by philosophical speculation. That is the understanding. Similarly, the localized Paramātmā feature is realized by the yogis. Dhyānāvasthita-tad-gatena manasā paśyanti yaṁ yoginaḥ [SB 12.13.1]. And the devotees, they realized directly the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Bhagavān, ṣaḍ-aiśvarya bhagavān, with full richness, full reputation, full strength, full knowledge, full renunciation. This is the meaning of Bhagavān. I have already explained. So that Bhagavān is speaking.
One who has developed attachment for Kṛṣṇa, he has come to perfection, simply by developing. And this development of attachment is possible by this arcana-vidhi. Just like our, rising early in the morning, offering maṅgalārātrika, then changing the dress, garlanding, dressing, so many things. From morning, four, to, up to night at ten o’clock, there is program. That is real temple worship. Not that the temple is closed whole day and night, and the pūjārī goes for five minutes and bells the bell, again close. No. There is system. Śrī-vigrahārādhana-nitya-nānā-śṛṅgāra-tan-mandira-mār janādau **. So many activities in temple worship. So, for the kaniṣṭha-adhikārī, neophytes, those who are serious to become, to awaken his attachment for Kṛṣṇa, they must take to this arcana-mārga. This is called arcana-mārga, temple worship. Everyone can establish a small temple in his house, and he can begin family-wise: himself, his wife, his children. That is wanted. This Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement wants to see that every house has become a temple of Kṛṣṇa. That is our program. Mayy āsakta… Just to increase the attachment for Kṛṣṇa.
That is needed, especially for the gṛhasthas, for the householders… Because Kṛṣṇa says, śucīnāṁ śrīmatāṁ gehe yoga-bhraṣṭo ‘bhijāyate. Śucīnām. Śucīnām means first-class brāhmaṇa, Vaiṣṇava. They are called śuci. The śuci, the, just the opposite word is muci. Muci means most nasty habit, and śuci means most cleansed habit. So, one poet said that śuci haya muci haya yadi kṛṣṇa tyaje and muci haya śuci haya yadi kṛṣṇa bhaje: “If one becomes Kṛṣṇa conscious, even though he’s born in the family of muci, he becomes śuci. And even though one is born in the family of śuci, brāhmaṇa, if he rejects Kṛṣṇa, he becomes muci.” So muci haya śuci haya yadi kṛṣṇa bhaje and śuci haya muci haya yadi kṛṣṇa tyaje. This is the…
So, the highest perfection of life is to awaken our dormant Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That is the highest perfection of life. Everyone has got Kṛṣṇa consciousness dormant. It is covered by the influence of māyā. By the influence of māyā. That is also stated in the Caitanya-caritāmṛta, that
nitya-siddha kṛṣṇa-prema ‘sādhya’ kabhu nayaśravaṇādi-śuddha-citte karaye udaya [Cc. Madhya 22.107]
Nitya-siddha. Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and we are all part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa. So therefore, our relationship with Kṛṣṇa is natural. It is natural. Just like my part and parcel of the finger; so, without finger, my body’s imperfect. Finger must be… So, the existence of finger with this body, it is natural. Similarly, to remain with Kṛṣṇa, that is our natural position, constitutional position. Remain with Kṛṣṇa as cowherd boy, as gopī, as Kṛṣṇa’s father, Kṛṣṇa’s mother, Kṛṣṇa’s servant, Kṛṣṇa’s trees, Kṛṣṇa’s Yamunā, Kṛṣṇa’s flower, Kṛṣṇa’s Vṛndāvana land—remain with Kṛṣṇa in any form you like. Śānta dāsya sākhya vātsalya mādhurya. In any mellow, humor, you can remain with Kṛṣṇa. That is our natural position. But when we try to imitate Kṛṣṇa, to become a imitation Kṛṣṇa… Just like there are so many persons, they say, “I am Kṛṣṇa.” This is māyā. Immediately… Because we trying to forget Kṛṣṇa, our relationship with Kṛṣṇa, immediately māyā captures.
As soon as we desire to forget Kṛṣṇa, or to rebel against Kṛṣṇa, that “Why I shall serve Kṛṣṇa? I am Kṛṣṇa,” immediately māyā is there, side by side. Kṛṣṇa is there. Apaśyat puruṣaṁ pūrṇaṁ māyāṁ ca tad-apāśrayam. When Vyāsadeva, after getting instruction from Nārada, he wanted to write Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, so he first of all meditated. Bhakti-yogena manasi, apaśyat puruṣaṁ pūrṇaṁ māyāṁ ca tad-apāśrayam [SB 1.7.4]. He saw both Kṛṣṇa and His illusory energy, apāśrayam, on the back side.
So Kṛṣṇa is never influenced by the illusory energy, māyā. We become influenced by the māyā. Kṛṣṇa… Just like cloud. Cloud cannot cover the sun. It is our eyes which are covered by the cloud. We see, we say that “Now the sun is covered by the cloud.” No, that is not the fact. Sun is very, very big. Sun cannot be covered by cloud. It is our eyes which are covered by the cloud. Similarly, māyā… We are teeny part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa. Therefore, we are covered by māyā. Sometimes, not always. Kṛṣṇa, when we forget Kṛṣṇa…
As soon as we try to forget Kṛṣṇa, immediately māyā is there. Therefore, the reversing process, reversing process, if we want to go back again to Kṛṣṇa, then daivī hy eṣā guṇamayī mama māyā duratyayā [Bg. 7.14]. You cannot go back to home, back to Godhead, by your own speculation. That is not possible. Ciraṁ vicinvan. You can go on speculating to become one with God. That is another thing. But if you actually want to know God and see God, then as Kṛṣṇa says, mām eva ye prapadyante māyām etāṁ taranti te: [Bg. 7.14] simply surrender to Kṛṣṇa and māyā will give you no more trouble. You can see Kṛṣṇa. This is the process.
Therefore, Kṛṣṇa says, mayy āsakta-manāḥ pārtha yogam. To… This is yoga system. It is called bhakti-yoga. Bhakti-yoga system. So, a neophyte devotee should be engaged in temple worship, but if he does not make further improvement, if he sticks to the simply temple worship, then he remains a kaniṣṭha-adhikārī, lower-standard devotee. Lower-standard devotee. But one has to become first-standard devotee; at least, one must… A first-standard devotee is very high position, spiritual position. But at least, we must come to the second standard. The lower standard is
arcāyām eva harayepūjāṁ yaḥ śraddhayehatena tad-bhakteṣu cānyeṣusa bhaktaḥ prākṛtaḥ smṛtaḥ
Arcā, this arcā-vigraha, Deity, Kṛṣṇa, arcāyām eva haraye, the Deity of Kṛṣṇa, yaḥ pūjāṁ śraddhayā īhate, with great devotion and according to the rules and regulations, if one performs, that is very nice. But if he does not improve, na tad-bhakteṣu cānyeṣu, he does not become knowable to the devotees and other persons, then he remains a kaniṣṭha-adhikārī. Sa bhaktaḥ prākṛtaḥ. Prākṛta means in the material platform. He does not actually promoted to the spiritual platform if he simply remains. Therefore, along with the worship of Kṛṣṇa in the temple, this hearing should be… Śravaṇaṁ kīrtanam [SB 7.5.23]. Just like we are doing. We do not engage only the devotees to the temple worship, but there must be program for hearing Bhagavad-gītā, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, the science of God. Otherwise, after sometimes, simply if you ring the bell, after time you’ll be disgusted and the whole thing will be lost. As it has become now in India. There was no instruction about Kṛṣṇa consciousness. They simply attached to the temple and belling. And now it is now zero. Devotion is zero.
So, two things must go on, parallel. Then if we, two things must go, then you are promoted to the second platform, madhyama-adhikārī. Madhyama-adhikārī means at that time he sees four things :īśvare tad-adhīneṣubāliśeṣu dviṣatsu caprema-maitrī-kṛpopekṣāyaḥ karoti sa madhyamaḥ
Madhyama. Īśvara. By arcana-vidhi, he understands Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, by this process. By the regulative process, by the instruction of the spiritual master, by the regulative principles set up in the bhakti-śāstras, just like Nārada-pañcarātra, Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu. There are many. So, at that time, if one comes from the lower platform to the… Of course, we must know that any devotee, either in the lower platform or in the second platform or on the firs platform, they are to be considered as devotees. Not that because one is in the material platform, he’s not devotee. He is also devotee. But he has to improve. The improvement means he must know what is Kṛṣṇa. Simply if he remains attached to the temple worship and does not try to understand who is a Kṛṣṇa devotee and how he has to deal with others… Na tad-bhakteṣu cānyeṣu. We have got some duty to others. This is preaching work. This is preaching work. One should not be satisfied simply by worshiping in the temple. Then he’ll remain a neophyte. He must become a preacher, Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Then he comes to the second platform.
So, when he becomes a preacher he sees four things. He sees God, Kṛṣṇa, Īśvara; tad-adhīna, and the devotees. Tad-adhīna means those who have accepted Kṛṣṇa as the parama-puruṣa. There is another verse in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavata: itthaṁ satāṁ brahma-sukhānubhūtyā dāsyaṁ gatānāṁ para-daivatena. Dāsyaṁ gatānām, for the bhaktas, Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Lord, Paradeva. itthaṁ satāṁ brahma-sukhānubhūtyādāsyaṁ gatānāṁ para-daivatenamāyāśritānāṁ nara-dārakeṇasākaṁ vijahruḥ kṛta-puṇya-puñjāḥ[SB 10.12.11]
When Śukadeva Gosvāmī described the cowherd boys playing with Kṛṣṇa… So, he is remarking that “These boys who are playing with Kṛṣṇa… Who is this Kṛṣṇa?” Itthaṁ satāṁ brahma-sukhānubhūtyā. Those, those who are impersonalists, those who are attached to the impersonal brahmajyoti, for them, He is the target. He is the target. From Him, the brahmajyoti comes. Itthaṁ satāṁ brahma-sukhānubhūtyā. And dāsyaṁ gatānāṁ para-daivatena: “And those who are devotees, for them, here is the Supreme Lord.” Dāsyaṁ gatānāṁ para-daivatena. And māyāśritānāṁ nara-dārakeṇa: “And those who are under the influence of māyā, for them, He’s ordinary human child.” The same person. Different views. One is seeing that the ultimate target of brahmajyoti, and somebody is seeing that He is the Supreme Lord, and somebody’s seeing, “He’s ordinary boy.” So Kṛṣṇa is visioned under different positions. Under different positions. But He’s the Supreme Lord.
So, this yoga system, attachment for Kṛṣṇa, begins from the temple worship and ends into mahā-bhāgavata. Mahā-bhāgavata means who simply sees Kṛṣṇa, nothing… Sarvatra haya nija iṣṭa-deva-sphūrti. Sthāvara-jaṅgama dekhe nā dekhe tāra mūrti [Cc. Madhya 8.274]. Similarly, in the Bhagavad-gītā also:vidyā-vinaya-sampannebrāhmaṇe gavi hastiniśuni caiva śva-pāke capaṇḍitāḥ sama-darśinaḥ[Bg. 5.18]
He does not see anything but Kṛṣṇa. A mahā-bhāgavata, when a tree, when he sees a tree, he does not see the form of the tree, but he sees Kṛṣṇa. That is mahā-bhāgavata. That we should not imitate. That is the highest stage, perfectional stage. But at least, we come to the middle stage. What is that middle stage? To… We must understand what is God, what is Kṛṣṇa. Perfect understanding. And tad-adhīna, and His devotees. Īśvare tad-adhīneṣu bāliśa. Bāliśa means innocent persons. They are un… I mean to… They do not know actually what is God. And dviṣat. Dviṣat means envious. The four classes of men: God, His devotee, innocent person, and envious person, demons. So, the person who is promoted to the second stage, he’ll deal with these four classes of divisions differently. Īśvara-prema. One should try to learn how to love Kṛṣṇa. Yato bhaktir adhokṣaje [SB 1.2.6]. That is first class. And tad, īśvare tad-adhīneṣu bāliśeṣu dviṣatsu ca, prema, prema, love for Kṛṣṇa, and maitrī, and to make friendship with the devotees. Prema-maitrī. And kṛpā: those who are innocent, one should be merciful. The devotee should be merciful, just to awaken their Kṛṣṇa consciousness. And dviṣatsu ca upekṣāḥ: and those who are envious, they should be rejected. These four classes… To try to love Kṛṣṇa, to make friendship with devotees, and to give some service to the innocent public who does not know what is God, and those who are envious, asuras, they should be rejected. The madhyama-adhikārī should not touch the demons. Because maybe, he may turn again, be demon. Therefore, one should be very careful to associate with the demons.
But when one becomes uttama-adhikārī, mahā-bhāgavata, he does not see anyone as demon. He sees, “Everyone is worshiping Kṛṣṇa. I am not worshiping.” This is mahā-bhāgavata. Just like Rādhārāṇī. Rādhārāṇī always feels that “I do not know how to love Kṛṣṇa. Oh, he, here is a gopī. How she loves Kṛṣṇa.” That is Her… This is called mahā-bhāva. So, we should not imitate Rādhārāṇī. Caitanya Mahāprabhu… Just like Caitanya Mahāprabhu, He’s the symbol of Rādhārāṇī’s mahā-bhāva. He says that “I do not love Kṛṣṇa. I do not know how to love Kṛṣṇa.” Then if you, somebody, if somebody says, “Then why You are crying?” “Well, that is a show. I am making a show. I am crying.” Then what is the symptom? “The symptom is that if I would have loved Kṛṣṇa, then without Him I have died long, long ago. I should have died. I am living still without Kṛṣṇa; that means I do not love Kṛṣṇa.” This is mahā-bhāgavata-bhāva, separation.āśliṣya vā pāda-ratāṁ pinaṣṭu māmadarśanān marma-hatāṁ karotu vāyathā tathā vā vidadhātu lampaṭomat-prāṇa-nāthas tu sa eva nāparaḥ[Cc. Antya 20.47] [Lord Kṛṣṇa, who is the lover of many devotees (women), may embrace this fully surrendered maidservant or may trample me with His feet, or He may render me brokenhearted by not being present before me for a long duration of time, but still He is nothing less than the Absolute Lord of my heart].
This is mahā-bhāgavata. So mahā-bhāgavata, we should not imitate. But we should not remain also as kaniṣṭha-adhikārī. We must come to the madhyama-adhikārī, middle stage. So, these stages will be manifest gradually if we simply try to develop our attachment for Kṛṣṇa.
So, this is the beginning: arcā, arcanam. Śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ smaraṇaṁ pāda-sevanam arcanam [SB 7.5.23]. Arcanam. Therefore, for every gṛhastha… Because gṛhasthas are busy in so many ways, they have no opportunity to preach. But they must take to arcana. Every house, every householder, they must… What is the difficulty? Just like we have got in this platform, Deity of Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa, everyone can install Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa Deity at home and under the instruction of spiritual master and shastric regulations. Then, if we engage ourselves in arcana-vidhi, then automatically, all the anomalies of life will stop. Ādau śraddhā tataḥ sādhu-saṅgo ‘tha bhajana-kriyā [Cc. Madhya 23.14-15]. This arcana-vidhi is one of the items of bhajana, bhajana-kriyā. So anartha-nivṛttiḥ syāt. If every house engages in this arcana-vidhi, so many unwanted things will vanish. You’ll have no more interest for seeing cinema or going to the restaurant or smoking biḍi and wasting time by unnecessary talks. So many things. And your life will be perfect. So many nonsense things will go automatically. Anartha-nivṛttiḥ syāt. So therefore, to become Kṛṣṇa conscious, every house, everywhere, every person, every human being should adopt this arcana-vidhi. Then at least he will save so many unnecessary… Anartha-nivṛttiḥ syāt. Ādau śraddhā tataḥ sādhu-saṅgaḥ [Cc. Madhya 23.14-15].
The spiritual master is the representative of Kṛṣṇa. How he becomes representative? What is the test? The test is… Just like anyone can understand, representative. Suppose a business firm’s representative is going to canvass for business, what is his business? He will take the interest of the firm, not his personal interest. He will try to secure business for the firm he’s working, not for his personal… That is perfect representative. And if he goes, in the name of the firm’s representative, and he does his own business, then he’s a liar. Similarly, Kṛṣṇa’s representative means one who speaks about Kṛṣṇa as Kṛṣṇa speaks. And if he adulterates, he’s a liar. He’s not representative. He’s not representative. Kṛṣṇa says, man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru [Bg. 18.65], and if the representative says, “Just become a devotee of Kṛṣṇa. Just worship Kṛṣṇa. Just offer your obeisances to Kṛṣṇa,” he is representative. Kṛṣṇa says, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja [Bg. 18.66], and the representative will say that “You give up all other process. You simply surrender to Kṛṣṇa.” He will never say that “I am Kṛṣṇa.” He’ll never say. He’s not representative of Kṛṣṇa. He’s a liar. He’s not representative.
So, to become representative of Kṛṣṇa is not very difficult. Simply one has to become very sincere. That’s all. That whatever Kṛṣṇa says, he will say. Just like Arjuna accepted: sarvam etad ṛtaṁ manye yad vadasi keśava [Bg. 10.14]. That is representative. “My dear Keśava, Kṛṣṇa, whatever You are speaking, I accept them all, in toto, without any reformation.” That is representative of Kṛṣṇa. Caitanya Mahāprabhu said,yāre dekha tāre kaha ‘kṛṣṇa’-upadeśaāmāra ājñāya guru hañā tāra’ ei deśa[Cc. Madhya 7.128]
Āmāra ājñāya. One has to carry out the order of God. He is representative. Otherwise liar, misnomer. So therefore, Kṛṣṇa says, mad-āśrayaḥ. Mad-āśrayaḥ: “Either under My direction, the direction is there, or My representative’s.” Mat. Mad-āśrayaḥ means “either under My direction or one who has taken…” [break]
…We have discussed. But gāyatrī-mantra is the beginning of brahminical culture because without attaining the brahminical qualification, nobody can understand Vedic literature. Therefore, a brāhmaṇa, initiated, he’s given the gāyatrī-mantra. So that is required. [break]
Indian: Hare Kṛṣṇa. Your Divine Grace, in order to understand Śrī Bhagavān Kṛṣṇa, we have to take your help, as you said you have explained what are the words of Kṛṣṇa. And in order to understand yourself we have, or we had to take the help of so many other persons. You speak in English and Sanskrit or Hindi, and at college, and at school, so many teachers taught us Sanskrit, Hindi, and history, geography, because there are so many illustrations in your speech also. Then guru has been defined like this:
ajñāna-timirāndhasyajñānāñjana-śalākayācakṣur unmīlitaṁ yenatasmai śrī-gurave namaḥ
Ajñāna timirāndhasya. About jñāna, nothing has been said whether it is spiritual jñāna or material jñāna. So, in order to understanding you and, through yourself, also Kṛṣṇa, all these so-called gurus, or, I may say, teachers, they have contributed towards understanding or developing Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Now, leaving aside these material teachers I am taking the, taking one spiritual guru who gave me Kṛṣṇa consciousness first and who taught me to worship God, Kṛṣṇa, and to maintain a temple at my own house and to learn the ślokas from Gītā or the Śrīmad-Bhāgavata. And I have learned by rote the grandness of adhyāyas of Bhāgavatam and the Gītā. But you see I could not understand anything. Now, after going through your literatures, complete literatures, now the whole light has come to me, and I have began to understand even that the guru who gave me such Kṛṣṇa consciousness. I don’t challenge or question the other findings of their(?) gurus. Just like a boy who absent from class, not attending his class, there is no fault of the guru. Guru has been attending his lectures. But I am truant. I am not attending class. So, you see I can’t blame that guru. But now I have understood everything from Your Grace, and now that ajñāna has been removed. I have now become more Kṛṣṇa conscious than before. So, should I give credit to all those gurus who have helped me to understand? Or should I now select, or should I exercise any choice that I should accept this guru or that guru only? So that doubt should be cleared.
Prabhupāda: Hmmm. Guru is only one. Guru means, as you explained,
ajñāna-timirāndhasyajñānāñjana-śalākayācakṣur unmīlitaṁ yenatasmai śrī-gurave namaḥ
One who eradicates the ajñāna, andhakāra, darkness. In the darkness, if somebody brings lamp, ajñāna-timirāndhasya jñānāñjana-śalākayā... The jñāna-rūpa, torchlight, he’s guru. So maybe of different degrees, but anyone who opens the spiritual eyes, he’s guru. So… But in the śāstra it is said, gurur api kāryākāryakam ajānataḥ. If I accept some guru, but if later on it appears that he did not know what is to be done, what is to be not to be done, then Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī says that such guru: parityāgo vidhīyate. Such guru should be rejected. But it doesn’t matter that degree. Actually, if the guru teaches Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then he may be in lesser degree, but he’s accepted as guru. There is no question of rejection. Because Kṛṣṇa is actually jñāna. One who teaches Kṛṣṇa as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, “One has to know Kṛṣṇa, one has to surrender to Kṛṣṇa,” this kind of teaching is required. And if the guru says that “I am Kṛṣṇa. Everyone is Kṛṣṇa,” then, “daridra-kṛṣṇa, daridra-nārāyaṇa,” he is not a guru. He’s not a guru. He’s misguiding. Misguiding. Avaiṣṇavo gurur na syāt. This is the shastric injunction. Ṣaṭ-karma-nipuṇo vipro mantra-tantra-viśāradaḥ. A… Generally, a qualified brāhmaṇa becomes guru. That is natural. Brāhmaṇa is the head of the society. So, he is… And without becoming brāhmaṇa, nobody can become guru. That is also fact. Because brāhmaṇa means brahma jānātīti brāhmaṇaḥ, one who knows Brahman, Brahman. So, guru must be a brāhmaṇa, mean a qualified brāhmaṇa, not born-brāhmaṇa, so-called brāhmaṇa. Qualified brāhmaṇa. So still, brāhm aṇa’s qualification, ṣaṭ-karma, paṭhana pāṭhana yajana yājana dāna pratigraha. So śāstra says that ṣaṭ-karma-nipuṇo vipraḥ. If one vipra is quite expert in executing the six kinds of business, and mantra-tantra-viśāradaḥ, and very well known in the Vedic mantras and hymns and everything complete, but if he is avaiṣṇava, if he is not Vaiṣṇava, he does not know viṣṇu-tattva, or kṛṣṇa-tattva, then he cannot become spiritual master. Avaiṣṇavo gurur na syād vaiṣṇavaḥ śva-paco guruḥ. But if a Vaiṣṇava, one who knows viṣṇu-tattva, kṛṣṇa-tattva, even if he’s born in the family of śva-paca, the dog-eaters, caṇḍāla, he can be accepted as guru. So, the real test is whether the guru is a Vaiṣṇava, whether he know the science of Kṛṣṇa. That is also confirmed by Caitanya Mahāprabhu:kibā vipra, kibā nyāsī, śūdra kene nayayei kṛṣṇa-tattva-vettā sei ‘guru’ haya[Cc. Madhya 8.128]
… It doesn’t matter what he is, whether he’s a sannyāsī or a gṛhastha or a brāhmaṇa or a su…, born in brāhmaṇa family or… It doesn’t matter. Yei kṛṣṇa-tattva. Anyone who knows Kṛṣṇa, he can become guru, not others. So that is the statement of the śāstras. Avaiṣṇava cannot become guru.
Indian: In your presence I may declare also attending I have found your system of Kṛṣṇa consciousness the best and very practical. Because I, I am a…
Prabhupāda: Hare Kṛṣṇa. (end)
Link to this page: https://prabhupadabooks.com/classes/bg/7/1/ahmedabad/december/13/1972