So the qualification of the guru is described in the previous verse.

So the qualification of guru is, he should be mahatma, and muni. Muni means philosopher, and mahatma means God-realized. Really, mahatma means God-realized. He knows. That is stated in the Bhagavad-gita.

Krsna says, vasudeva... When Krsna is in the Battlefield of Kuruksetra, He's Vasudeva. Krsna does not go away from Vrndavana. But when He has got other business to do, He does it as Vasudeva. Vasudeva is in Mathura. Vasudeva is in Dvaraka. But original Krsna is in Vrndavana. But that does not mean that this Vasudeva is different from Krsna. The foolish person, who cannot study, who does not know what is Vasudeva, what is Aniruddha, what is Pradyumna, the, the Sankarsana... These are all expansions of Krsna. They are not different from Krsna. But still, They are not original Krsna. There is no... It is not that Vasudeva has got less power than Krsna. They are equally powerful. Advaitam acyutam... Advaita. They are not different. Acyutam anadim ananta-rupam [Bs. 5.33]. But the difference is that the... Several times I explained that one candle, you lit up another candle, you lit up another candle, you lit up another, another, millions... So all the candles are of the same power, so far candle power is concerned, but still, you have to say, "This is the first candle, this is the second candle, this is the third candle, this is the fourth candle," like that. Not that because the second candle is lit up from the first candle, therefore second candle is less powerful than the first candle. No, that is not. That is called advaya-jnana.

Advaitam acyutam. Advaitam acyutam ananta-rupam. Krsna's ananta-rupam does not make any difference. There is no difference between Ramacandra and Krsna. Ramadi-murtisu kala-niyamena tisthan [Bs. 5.39]. Krsna is always... When we say "Krsna"Krsna with all His expansions, Visnu expansions. So either you worship Rama or Krsna, it is the same. Or Visnu. There is no difference. Therefore advaitam acyutam anadim ananta-rupam adyam [Bs. 5.33]. But still, Krsna is the adyam, original. Adyam purana-purusam nava-yauvanam ca. Although He is adyam, purana-purusam, the oldest personality, still, nava-yauvanam ca, always young. You have never seen Krsna's photograph as old man. No. When He was charioteer of Arjuna, He was great-grandfather at that time. His grandson had sons. He's old man. But you see, just a young man of twenty years old. That is Krsna. Nava-yauvanam ca. Adyam purana-purusam nava-yauvanam ca [Bs. 5.33]. And these rascals, they try to understand Krsna...

Krsna personally says that,

So therefore, how to understand Krsna? That is stated by Krsna Himself:. after many, many births struggling to understand Krsna. Bahunam janmanam ante jnanavan [Bg. 7.19]. Not foolish person. Foolish person cannot understand. But even jnanavan, who is wise, perfectly wise, learned scholar, such person, even after many, many births struggling to understand Krsna... So that is mahatma, one who has understood Krsna. He is mahatma. One who does not understand Krsna or verifies himself as Krsna, he's duratma. He's not mahatma. He's a rascal. Mahatma is that person who has understood Krsna, that vasudevah sarvam iti: [Bg. 7.19] "Krsna, Vasudeva, is the cause of all causes." Isvarah paramah krsnah [Bs. 5.1]. One who has understood this perfectly, that the Supreme Controller, Isvara... Isvara means controller. And not only controller, but Supreme Controller. Controller, we are; every one of us are controller. Just like I am also controlling a few of my disciplesor hundred or thousand. But Krsna is controller of millions, millions upon millions and millions upon... All universes. Sarva-loka-mahesvaram [Bg. 5.29]. Simply to become controller does not become... Yes, that is also isvara. You can say. But there is paramesvara.

These words are used in the Vedic language: Isvara, paramesvara, atma, paramatma. So there is one Paramatma. That Paramatma is Krsna. Atma, we are also atma, living being, and Krsna is also living being. But not, we are not equal to Krsna. Krsna is the chief living being. Just like I am also living being; you are also living being. But you accept me as the chief of this institution. There must be one chief. Otherwise there will be no management. It will be chaotic. So we are atma, and Krsna is also atma. But He is Paramatma. We are isvara. Krsna is also isvara. But He's Paramesvara. Therefore we have named "Godhead" purposefully, not "God." We don't say "Back to God." We say, "Back to Godhead.""Head" means the chief. Everyone can claim that "I am God," because everyone has got some power, little power. But not the supreme power. That is Krsna.

So when one understands Krsna perfectly, he becomes mahatma. Just try to understand. Not a politician. Not by changing dress, saffron-color cloth. No, that is not mahatma. One who understands Krsna perfectly well, he is mahatma. Therefore here it is said, munibhir mahatmabhih. The instruction was received from persons, munibhih, great philosophers. Not only philosophers, but mahatma. Because one who has understood Krsna perfectly... This is the qualification of guru. So that qualification, to attain, is not very difficult. But because we are rascals, we do not try to take the qualification. That qualification is very simple. One... Who can understand Krsna? Krsna is not so cheap thing. He has said already that yatatam api siddhanam kascin mam vetti tattvatah [Bg. 7.3]. So it not very easy. But it is very easy if you take the process, easiest process. What is that easiest process? That easiest process: you don't talk nonsense; you simply talk what Krsna has said. That's all. And many times they give me very great credit that I have done wonderful. Yes, I have done wonderful. But what is the reason? Because I am not a rascal. I speak what Krsna has spoken. That's all. Very easy. Everyone can do that. Not only I. Any of you, you can do this. Simply speak what is..., what Krsna has said. That's all. Don't make addition, alteration. Then you become rascal. Immediately you become rascal.

So you don't want to..., if you don't want to become a rascal, if you want to become a mahatma, then you accept what Krsna says and preach that. Krsna says, mattah parataram nanyat: [Bg. 7.7] "There is no more superior authority than Me." You say that. You say, vasudevah sarvam iti [Bg. 7.19]. "Here is... Krsna is the cause." You understand or don't understand, if you simply pick up the words of Krsna and talk like that, then you become mahatma. There is no difficulty to become mahatma. But these duratmas, the rascals, they talk differently from Krsna. Therefore they are not mahatmas. They are all duratma. Therefore the process is that if you want to make progress in Krsna consciousness, then you have to find out a guru who is mahatma. Adau gurvasrayam. That is the first business. Adau, in the beginning, gurvasrayam, to take shelter of a bona fide mahatma guru. That is the Vedic instruction. Tad-vijnanartham sa gurum eva abhigacchet [MU 1.2.12]. "Must," abhigacchet. This verb is used"must." It is not, "Oh, I can do without guru." No, that is not possible. That is not possible. If you want to understand the transcendental science, spiritual science, you must approach. Gacchet. This, this form of verb used when there is the meaning "must." Tad-vijnanartham sa gurum eva abhigacchet, samit-panih srotriyam brahma-nistham. And guru's qualification is brahma-nistham. Brahma... And again this word. Brahma, and Krsna is Parabrahman. Again this param. That Parabrahman has been said by Arjuna to Krsna, bhavan. Bhavan: "My dear Krsna, You are Parabrahman." Pavitram bhavan. Param brahma param dhama pavitram paramam bhavan [Bg. 10.12].

So the process is that if you want to make any progress... Just like Narada Muni. He made immediately progress simply by associating with the mahatmas only for four months. Why? That is explained in the next verse. What is that? Tasyaivam me anuraktasya. "I became attached to them. I became a lover of the mahatmas." Anuraktasya prasritasya. "I became obedient." Not disobedient. Guror avajnah, that is great offense. If you become disobedient to guru, then your business is finished. These are the qualifications. Me anuraktasya prasritasya... And hatainasah. Hata enasah. Means "All my sinful activities stopped." Nobody can understand the bona fide guru or Krsna unless he is free from sinful life. Therefore we have to accept this principle: no illicit sex, no gambling, no, I mean to say, intoxication, no meat-eating. If you follow these four principles, then you become hatainasah. Hata enasah. Your sinful life stopped. So hatainasah sraddadhanasya. Sraddadhana means with faith and obedience. Not that blindly. Sraddadhanasya balasya. And although he was a boy, but he got this qualification. Balasya danta, silent, no more playing. Anucarasya. Anucara means following. These are the qualifications. If you become qualified with these qualities... What is that? Anurakta, means attached, obedient, no sinful activities, and faithful, and not disturbing, danta, and follower. And if the guru is mahatma and if you are qualified with these qualifications, then the result will be there. Immediately.

But there is no difficulty. One must be serious to understand, and he must approach a qualified mahatma guru. Then his business will be, transaction will be very nicely done. This is Vedic process. Is there any difficulty? Anyone can say? Is there any difficulty to become mahatma and to become a qualified disciple? Is it very difficult? Say, if there is any difficulty.

Thank you very much. (end)