must be qualified
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"A person may be a brahmana, sannyasi, a sudra or whatever, but if he is well conversant in the science of Krsna, he can become a guru." (Cc. Madhya 8.128) This statement is supported by Sri Madhavendra Puri. According to the pancaratra injunction, only a householder brahmana can initiate. Others cannot. When a person is initiated, it is assumed that he has become a brahmana; without being initiated by a proper brahmana, one cannot be converted into a brahmana. In other words, unless one is a brahmana, he cannot make another a brahmana. A grhastha-brahmana partaking of the varnasrama-dharma institution can secure various types of paraphernalia to worship Lord Visnu through his honest labor. Actually, people beg to be initiated by these householder brahmanas just to become successful in the varnasrama institution or to become free from material desires. It is therefore necessary for a spiritual master in the grhastha-asrama to be a strict Vaisnava. A spiritual master from the sannyasa order has very little opportunity to perform arcana, Deity worship, but when one accepts a spiritual master from the transcendental sannyasis, the principle of Deity worship is not at all neglected. To implement this conclusion, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu gave us His opinion in the verse kiba vipra kiba nyasi, etc. This indicates that the Lord understood the weakness of society in its maintaining that only a grhastha-brahmana should be a spiritual master. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu indicated that it does not matter whether the spiritual master is a grhastha (householder), a sannyasi or even a sudra. A spiritual master simply must be conversant in the essence of the sastra; he must understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Only then can one become a spiritual master. Diksa actually means initiating a disciple with transcendental knowledge by which he becomes freed from all material contamination.
(More...) Our Krsna consciousness movement is meant for educating everyone to become divine. That is the program. So what is the gain by becoming divine? That is described in the previous verse: daivi sampad vimoksaya [Bg 16.5]. If you become divine and acquire the divine qualities, abhayam sattva-samsuddhih jnana-yoga-vyavasthitih... That is we have discussed already. So if you become divine... There is no impediment to become divine. Simply you have to practice for the post. Just like everyone can become high-court judge. Everyone can become the president of United States. There is no bar. But you have to be qualified. If you qualify yourself, you can become any..., fitted in any position. Similarly, as it is said, to divine, to become daivi, you have to qualify yourself to become divine. How to become divine? That is already described. We have already...
(More...) The guru must be mahatma and muni. Muni means thoughtful, philosopher. Not foolish rascal, manufacturing some philosophy. And mahatmabhih: not only self-realized, but by his character, by his behavior, by his understanding, he must be a mahatma. What is that mahatma? There are so many mahatmas simply by changing the dress. No. Not that kind of mahatma. Our Bhaktivinoda Thakura has sung a song, eo ta' eka kalira cela: "Here is a disciple of Kali." What is that? Nake tilaka galaya mala. "He has got tilaka..." Matha neda nake tilaka galaya mala. He sings that sahaja-bhajana karachena mamu, saṅge la'ye parera bala. Bhaktivinoda Thakura sings that "He's dressed like a babaji. He has shaven his head, and has got tilaka and kanthi. But he has got at least half a dozen women, and that is his bhajana." So not that... That is not mahatma. That is duratma, a cheating... Of course, in this Kali-yuga... Therefore Bhaktivinoda Thakura says, eo ta' eka kalira cela. Kalira cela means the disciple of Kali. Dressed like a sadhu or Vaisnava, but within, all rubbish things. That will not help us. He must be mahatma, real mahatma. We want guru like that. Then it will be a... We must be also qualified, and guru also qualified. Therefore it is said in the Hari-bhakti-vilasa that one year should be taken to study one another, the guru and the disciple. The guru also will see whether the person is fit to become a disciple, and the disciple also will see, "Whether this gentleman can become my guru."
(More...) So to become a disciple of spiritual master, unless there is awakening of this knowledge, to know, "What I am?" there is no need of making a show, accepting a spiritual master. There is no need. Tasmad gurum prapadyeta jijnasuh sreya uttamam [SB 11.3.21]. For whom guru is needed? Guru, spiritual master, is not a farce, that "Let me have a guru, nice guru. Then I become perfect." And if you do not follow the instruction of guru... First of all, you must have a bona fide guru. And if you follow, then your life is perfect. So two things must be correct: the guru must be correct and the disciple must be correct. Then the business will be correct. And either of them-if guru is incorrect or the disciple is incorrect-there will be no action.
(More...) So the... Sadhu. We are to take shelter of sadhu. Sadhu-guru, the same thing. Guru means sadhu. A sadhu... One... Sadhu means the devotee of the Lord. If one is not sadhu, then he cannot become guru. And sadhu means... This is the description given. What is that? Mayy ananyena bhavena bhaktim kurvanti ye drdham. He's sadhu. Not that anyone with a saffron cloth and having a long beard. That is not sadhu. Sadhu means the devotee of the Lord. That is his first qualification. Krsna says, api cet su-duracaro bhajate mam ananya-bhak. The same thing. As it is..., Kapiladeva says, mayy ananyena bhavena. Kapiladeva is also Krsna, incarnation of Krsna. The same thing. The Bhagavad-gita, Krsna svayam says, bhajate mam ananya-bhak. Ananya, "not being deviated." Mam ekam, "only unto Me." This is ananya-bhava. Not that sometimes take from here something, take from here something, whatever is available. Those who are after material concession, they go different demigods: take something from Siva, take something from Durga, take something from Kali, take this, that, that. So many, there are different demigods, especially Goddess Durga, Lord Siva and Ganesa and Surya, they are... And Visnu. The Visnu worship is the best. Aradhananam sarvesam visnor aradhanam param [Padma Purana]. That is said by Lord Siva to Goddess Parvati. Parvati asked Lord Siva, "What is the best type of worship?" There are so many. It is amongst the demigods. So Lord Siva advised, aradhananam sarvesam visnor aradhanam param. "My dear Parvati, amongst all kinds of different types of worship, Visnu worship is the best." And then again he said, tasmat parataram devi: "And there is still better worship." What is that? Tasmat parataram devi tadiyanam aradhananam. Then... "Visnu worship is the best. And more than that: to worship Vaisnava." Tadiyanam aradhananam.
(More...) Prabhupada: And [chuckles] that is our opinion. They are simply mentally speculating. It has no value. Unless you are directly in touch with the Supreme Personality of Godhead and assimilate the instructions given by Him, by all your reason, and then in practical life you execute it. Then one can become guru, he can do good to others; otherwise not possible.
(More...) Regarding the controversy that is going on there in Stockholm, what is the reason. This must be considered at a full meeting of the GBC. You may suggest a way to mitigate this difficulty and if it is not accepted, then both of them should resign. I know that Hansadutta is very expert in selling books but books are not only for selling but also for reading. Now has the GBC become more than Guru Maharaja? As if simply GBC is meant for looking after pounds, shilling, pence. The GBC does not look after spiritual life. That is a defect. All of our students will have to become guru, but they are not qualified. This is the difficulty. I hope this meets you in good health. Prabhupada: Yes. Jahnava devi was-Nityananda's wife. She became. If she is able to go to the highest perfection of life, why it is not possible to become guru? But, not so many. Actually one who has attained the perfection, she can become guru. But man or woman, unless one has attained the perfection... Yei krsna-tattva-vetta sei guru haya [Cc Madhya 8.128]. The qualification of guru is that he must be fully cognizant of the science of Krsna. Then he or she can become guru. Yei krsna-tattva-vetta, sei guru haya. [break] In our material world, is it any prohibition that woman cannot become professor? If she is qualified, she can become professor. What is the wrong there? She must be qualified. That is the position. So similarly, if the woman understands Krsna consciousness perfectly, she can become guru.
(More...) Tamala Krsna: Oh, that kind of complaint was there.
(More...) Tamala Krsna: Yeah, I heard that, yeah.
(More...) Tamala Krsna: Well, I have studied myself and all of your disciples, and it's clear fact that we are all conditioned souls, so we cannot be guru. Maybe one day it may be possible...
(More...) Prabhupada: Yes. I shall choose some guru. I shall say, "Now you become acarya. You become authorized." I am waiting for that. You become all acarya. I retire completely. But the training must be complete.
(More...) Tamala Krsna: The process of purification must be there.
(More...) Tamala Krsna: Not rubber stamp.
(More...) Prabhupada: Then you'll not be effective. You can cheat, but it will not be effective. Just see our Gaudiya Matha. Everyone wanted to become guru, and a small temple and "guru." What kind of guru? No publication, no preaching, simply bring some foodstuff... My Guru Maharaja used to say, "Joint mess," a place for eating and sleeping. Khaoya daoya adda khana: "Joint mess." He said this.
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