respect
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One should offer the greatest respect to the ācāryas according to the standard regulations. It is recommended herewith that all the acaryas be given the highest respect. It is stated, gurusu nara-matiḥ. Gurusu means "unto the acaryas" and nara-matiḥ means "thinking like a common man." To think of the Vaisnavas, the devotees, as belonging to a particular caste or community, to think of the acaryas as ordinary men, or to think of the Deity in the temple as being made of stone, wood or metal, is condemned. Niyamena: one should offer the greatest respect to the acaryas according to the standard regulations. A devotee should also be compassionate to the poor. This does not refer to those who are poverty-stricken materially. According to devotional vision, a man is poor if he is not in Krsna consciousness. A man may be very rich materially, but if he is not Krsna conscious, he is considered poor. On the other hand, many acaryas, such as Rūpa Gosvami and Sanatana Gosvami, used to live beneath trees every night. Superficially it appeared that they were very poverty-stricken, but from their writings we can understand that in spiritual life they were the richest personalities.
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