jagad

The Mayavadi-sampradaya sannyasis are generally known as Vedantis, as if Vedanta were their monopoly. Actually, however, Vedanti refers to a person who perfectly knows Krsna. As confirmed in Bhagavad-gita, vedais ca sarvair aham eva vedyo: "By all the Vedas it is Krsna who is to be known." (Bg. 15.15) The so-called Mayavadi Vedantis do not know who Krsna is; therefore their title of Vedanti, or knower of Vedanta philosophy, is simply a pretension. Mayavadi sannyasis always think of themselves as real sannyasis and consider sannyasis of the Vaisnava order to be brahmacaris. A brahmacari is supposed to engage in the service of a sannyasi and accept him as his guru. Mayavadi sannyasis therefore declare themselves to be not only gurus but jagad-gurus, or the spiritual masters of the entire world, although, of course, they cannot see the entire world. Sometimes they dress gorgeously and travel on the backs of elephants in processions, and thus they are always puffed up, accepting themselves as jagad-gurus. Srila Rūpa Gosvami, however, has explained that jagad-guru properly refers to one who is the controller of his tongue, mind, words, belly, genitals and anger. Prthivim sa sisyat: such a jagad-guru is completely fit to make disciples all over the world. Due to false prestige, Mayavadi sannyasis who do not have these qualifications sometimes harass and blaspheme a Vaisnava sannyasi who humbly engages in the service of the Lord.    (More...)

In India there are many so-called gurus, and they are limited to a certain district or a province. They do not even travel about India, yet they declare themselves to be jagad-guru, gurus of the whole world. Such cheating gurus should not be accepted. Anyone can see how the bona fide spiritual master accepts disciples from all over the world. The guru is a qualified brahmana; therefore he knows Brahman and Parabrahman. He thus devotes his life for the service of Parabrahman. The bona fide spiritual master who accepts disciples from all over the world is also worshiped all over the world because of his qualities. Lokanam asau pūjyo yatha hariḥ: the people of the world worship him just as they worship the Supreme Personality of Godhead. All these honors are offered to him because he strictly follows the brahminical principles and teaches these principles to his disciples. Such a person is called an acarya because he knows the principles of devotional service, he behaves in that way himself, and he teaches his disciples to follow in his footsteps. Thus he is an acarya or jagad-guru. Even though a person is born in a brahminical family and is very expert in performing sacrifices, he cannot be accepted as a guru if he is not a strict Vaisnava. A guru is a brahmana by qualification, and he can turn others into brahmanas according to the sastric principles and brahminical qualifications. Brahmanism is not a question of heredity. In Srimad-Bhagavatam (7.32.11) Sri Narada Muni tells Maharaja Yudhisthira what a brahmana is. He states that if brahminical qualifications are observed in ksatriyas, vaisyas or even sūdras, one should accept them as brahmanas. In this regard, Srila Sridhara Svami has commented: samadibhir eva brahmanadi-vyavaharo mukhyaḥ, na jati-matradity aha-yasyeti. yad yadi anyatra varnantare 'pi drsyeta, tad-varnantaram tenaiva laksana-nimittenaiva varnena vinirdiset, na tu jati-nimittenety arthaḥ.    (More...)

Sanatana Gosvami clearly defines herein the bona fide spiritual master of the world. The qualifications expressed in this connection are that one must act according to the scriptural injunctions and at the same time preach. One who does so is a bona fide spiritual master. Haridasa Thakura was the ideal spiritual master because he regularly chanted on his beads a prescribed number of times. Indeed, he was chanting the holy name of the Lord 300,000 times a day. Similarly, the members of the Krsna consciousness movement chant a minimum of sixteen rounds a day, which can be done without difficulty, and at the same time they must preach the cult of Caitanya Mahaprabhu according to the gospel of Bhagavad-gita As It Is. One who does so is quite fit to become a spiritual master for the entire world.    (More...)

Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura says in his Amrta-pravaha-bhasya that sannyasis in the line of Sahkaracarya always think that they have performed all the duties of brahmanas and that, furthermore, having understood the essence of Vedanta-sūtra and become sannyasis, they are the natural spiritual masters of all society. Similarly, persons born in brahmana families think that because they execute the ritualistic ceremonies recommended in the Vedas and follow the principles of smrti, they alone can become spiritual masters of society. These highly exalted brahmanas think that unless one is born in a brahmana family, one cannot become a spiritual master and teach the Absolute Truth. To cut down the pride of these birthright brahmanas and Mayavadi sannyasis, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu proved that a person like Ramananda Raya, although born in a sūdra family and situated in the grhastha-asrama, can become the spiritual master of such exalted personalities as Himself and Pradyumna Misra. This is the principle of the Vaisnava cult, as evinced in the teachings of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. A person who knows what is spiritual and what is material and who is firmly fixed in the spiritual position can be jagad-guru, the spiritual master of the entire world. One cannot become jagad-guru simply by advertising oneself as jagad-guru without knowing the essential principles for becoming jagad-guru. Even people who never see what a jagad-guru is and never talk with other people become puffed-up sannyasis and declare themselves jagad-gurus. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu did not like this. Any person who knows the science of Krsna and who is fully qualified in spiritual life can become jagad-guru. Thus Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu personally took lessons from Sri Ramananda Raya and also sent Pradyumna Misra, an exalted brahmana, to take lessons from him.    (More...)

Lord Chaitanya informed Prakasananda Saraswati that when His Spiritual Master understood Him, the Spiritual Master said: "It is the transcendental nature of the Holy Name of Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare/Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare to transport a man into spiritual madness. Anyone who sincerely chants this Holy Name is actually elevated very soon onto the platform of love of God, and therefore he becomes mad after Him. This madness of love of God is the first perfectional stage of the human being." Generally the human being is after religiousness, economic development, sense gratification, and liberation. But this love of God is above all such perfections of life, The process is that a bona fide Spiritual Master chants the Holy Name, Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare/Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare, and the transcendental sound vibration enters into the ear of the disciple. If the disciple follows in the footsteps of his Spiritual Master and chants the Holy Name with equal respect, that becomes the worship of the transcendental Name.    (More...)