teaches by example

Imported quote 13627

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu has said, apani acari prabhu jivere sikhaya. It is very well known that whatever Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu taught in His life as acarya, He Himself practiced. When He was preaching as a devotee, although He was detected by several great personalities to be the incarnation of Krsna, He never agreed to be addressed as an incarnation. Even though one may be an incarnation of Krsna, or especially empowered by Him, he should not advertise that he is an incarnation. People will automatically accept the real truth in due course of time. Prthu Maharaja was the ideal Vaisnava king; therefore he taught others by his personal behavior how to receive and respect saintly persons like the Kumaras. When a saintly person comes to one's home, it is the Vedic custom first to wash his feet with water and then sprinkle this water over the heads of oneself and his family. Prthu Maharaja did this, for he was an exemplary teacher of the people in general. (More...)

Imported quote 13889

"The spiritual master is honored as much as the Supreme Lord because he is the most confidential servitor of the Lord." Thus Prthu Maharaja can also be called Prabhupada, or, as described herein, prabhu. Another question may be raised in this connection. Since Prthu Maharaja was a power incarnation of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, saktyavesa-avatara, why did he have to execute the regulative principles in order to become a prabhu? Because he appeared on this earth as an ideal king and because it is the duty of the king to instruct the citizens in the execution of devotional service, he followed all the regulative principles of devotional service in order to teach others. Similarly, Caitanya Mahaprabhu, although Krsna Himself, taught us how to approach Krsna as a devotee. It is said, apani acari' bhakti sikhainu sabare. Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu instructed others in the process of devotional service by setting the example Himself through His own personal actions. Similarly, Prthu Maharaja, although a saktyavesa-avatara incarnation, still behaved exactly as a devotee in order to achieve the position of prabhu. Furthermore, svarūpasthaḥ means complete liberation. As it is said, hitvanyatha rūpam svarūpena avasthitiḥ: when a living entity abandons the activities of maya and attains the position from which he can execute devotional service, his state is called svarūpasthaḥ, or complete liberation. (More...)

Imported quote 18883

[break] This is Vedic injunction. If you want to know perfectly, if you want to have perfect knowledge, tad-vijnanartham sa gurum eva, you must approach guru. Here is guru, Kapiladeva, or Krsna, God. God is guru, original guru. God gave lessons to Brahma. Brahma gave lessons to Narada. Narada gave lessons to Vyasadeva. Vyasadeva gave lessons to us. This is Vyasadeva's contribution. And if you follow this disciplic succession, then you get perfect knowledge. Otherwise, if you speculate, then you are in darkness, tamasi. What power you have got? All your senses are imperfect. How you can get perfect knowledge? That is not possible. Therefore the injunction is, tad-vijnanartham sa gurum evabhigacchet [Munḍaka Upanisad ]: "You must go to guru." And who is guru? This parampara system. Evam parampara-praptam imam rajarsayo viduḥ [Bg 4.2]. So this is the process. If you want perfect knowledge, you must approach guru. And who is guru? Guru means the representative of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Acaryam mam vijaniyan navamanyeta karhicit [SB 11.17.27]. (More...)

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