Brahmānanda Svāmī

Vyasa Pūja Offering on the Most Blessed Advent Day of My Spiritual Master,
His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, August 25, 1970

In the Nectar of Devotion by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada it is stated by Srila Rūpa Gosvami, one of the primary disciples of Lord Caitanya and a recognized sadhu and authority, that revealed scriptures are any books which give enlightenment in the matter of advancing devotional service. This definition is valid for scriptures followed by all bona fide religions of the world as well as the Vedic scriptures followed by the Krsna consciousness movement. In the Vedic literature the conclusion is that all conditioned souls should surrender unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Sri Krsna. In the Bhagavad-gita, which is the most widely recognized scriptural authority of the Vedic literature, it is stated:

Anyone who wants to follow this invaluable instruction should sincerely ask, "Who is Krsna? Where can He be found? How do I surrender to Him?" If sincerity is there, then without a doubt Krsna will guide you back to Him. It is Krsna's desire that all the conditioned souls struggling hard in the material world return to their constitutional positions of being His eternally conscious part and parcels. A son may leave home and go out into the world to pursue his life independently and may no longer remember his father, but the father is always thinking of his son, where he may be, and what he is doing. Similarly, Krsna is always thinking of us and by His kindness in so many ways ever invites us to return from this foreign material world. He come Himself and exhibits transcendental pastimes to attract us and says:

Krsna delivers His word in the scriptures such as the Bhagavad-gita.

And Krsna sends His representative, the authorized spiritual master. As it is confirmed in the Caitanya-caritamrta, guru-krsna-krpaya paya bhakti-lata bija:

The Bhagavad-gita is meant to bring us to this understanding, that the only way to become Krsna conscious is to surrender to His representatives, the spiritual master. All the perplexities of life can be solved if one approaches and surrenders completely to a bona fide spiritual master, who is in the disciplic succession from Lord Krsna, because a person with a bona fide spiritual master is supposed to know everything. Arjuna is poised on the battle field of Kuruksetra totally perplexed, but he asks Lord Krsna, the supreme spiritual master, to make a definite solution. He offers himself to Krsna as a disciple he wants to stop friendly talks. Talks between the master and disciple are serious, and Arjuna wants to talk very seriously before the recognized spiritual master. Krsna is therefore the original spiritual master in the science of the Bhagavad-gita, and Arjuna is the original disciple in understanding the Gita. Arjuna speaks to his spiritual master frankly and with simplicity, without false prestige. "Now I am confused about duty and have lost all composure because of weakness. In this condition I am asking You to tell me clearly what is best for me.

Lord Krsna is speaking through the Bhagavad-gita as the Supreme Personality of Godhead and also the original spiritual master. The Lord immediately takes the position of the teacher and instructs Arjuna the science of Krsna consciousness. He cautions Arjuna:

Such a qualification is necessary because although anyone can be given spiritual understanding, no matter what his material distinctions, still one must be transcendentally qualified. You cannot purchase transcendental knowledge; you cannot force it by your strength; nor can you speculate it from your mind. The only way to receive transcendental knowledge from the descending disciplic succession is to love your spiritual master without motives.

Transcendental knowledge comes from the spiritual master, so there cannot be any adulteration either in the spiritual master or in the aspiring disciple, otherwise the transcendental effect is adulterated. However, in the beginning of Krsna consciousness one may not fully discharge the injunctions of the spiritual master, but because one is not resentful of this principle of faithfully following his spiritual master's instruction, and works sincerely without consideration of defeat and hopelessness, he will surely be promoted to the stage of pure Krsna consciousness.

Arjuna has this qualification of sincere love.

So it is a fact that anyone who wants to understand the Bhagavad-gita must follow the line of Arjuna, who is recognized by Krsna, his spiritual master, as being a sincerely surrendered soul. A bona fide spiritual master is in the disciplic succession from time eternal, and there is not in his teachings the slightest deviation from the instructions of the Supreme Personality of Godhead as it was first imparted millions of years ago to the sun-god Vivasvan. (See Bg. 4.1) One should be careful to avoid self-interested people who seek aggrandizement and who deviate others from the actual path. One should understand that just as the Lord is transcendental, so is His representative, the bona fide spiritual master.

Not only does Krsna demonstrate the crucial importance of surrendering to the spiritual master by delivering the Bhagavad-gita to His disciple Arjuna, but to avoid any misunderstanding He specifically declares:

His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, my spiritual master writes the following purport to this important verse in his Bhagavad-gita As It Is.

The singular importance of the spiritual master is even more explicitly declared by the Lord Himself in the Adi purana, as quoted in The Nectar of Devotion by the author His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada.

On the supreme authority of Lord Krsna Himself, you cannot approach Him directly, but only through His pure devotees. Thus a Vaisnava always first accepts a spiritual master and then renders service to him.

A bona fide spiritual master is not an ordinary person. If a disciple does not understand the transcendental nature of his spiritual master, then it is better for him not to accept a spiritual master. Accepting a spiritual master means to surrender everything 100% to him. You cannot argue or debate with him. You can only surrender, serve, and inquire. The qualification of the spiritual master is stated in The Nectar of Devotion, page 58: he must have realized the conclusion of the scriptures by deliberation and arguments and be able to convince others of these conclusions. Such great and unique personalities who have taken shelter of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, having put aside all material considerations, are to be understood as bona fide spiritual masters. Rascal spiritual master, who are not directed by scriptural injunctions, whose character is doubtful, who do not follow the principles of devotional service, or who have not conquered the influence of the six sense gratifying agents of the tongue, belly, genitals, anger, mind, and words, should never be accepted as a spiritual master by a sincere candidate for spiritual life. Because of his total surrender to Lord Krsna, a pure devotee automatically develops all good qualities, which he does not have to develop extraneously. These qualities are specifically mentioned in the Bhagavad-gita, 12.13-19:

Such a pure devotee is very, very dear to the Lord because of his unalloyed service attitude.

The pure devotee is completely dependant upon the mercy of the Lord, and according to the Lord's promise, His devotee will never be vanquished, even though he may have to withstand many severe tests. Such pure surrender out of love conquers the Lord so that He reciprocates with love to His devotee.

A pure devotee of the Lord is completely purified of the defects of all conditioned living entities. He is not illusioned. He does not have imperfect senses. He does not have the tendency to cheat others. He never makes a mistake. He has achieved this transcendental perfection by taking complete shelter at the feet of his spiritual master and thus through the spotless disciplic succession coming from Lord Krsna. This spiritual master has no connection with sense gratification or mental speculation. He has completely purified himself by surrendering completely to the Lord.

Lord Krsna further describes His pure devotee in the following verses.

How to approach the spiritual master is authoritatively presented in the Eleventh Canto of the Srimad-Bhagavatam by Sage Prabuddha to Maharaja Nimi, as quoted in The Nectar of Devotion.

Lord Krsna Himself confirms this also in the Eleventh Canto of Srimad-Bhagavatam, 17th Chapter, 22nd verse.

Iron which is constant contact with fire does not have the qualities of iron. It acts only like the fire, and any other lump of iron that comes in contact with it also becomes fire. By his unalloyed surrender, the spiritual master is God.

The testimony that my spiritual master His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada is such a spiritual master is that I was once no different than a homeless dog on the street, but by the mercy of my spiritual master I have been able to realize these authorized conclusions.

I therefore prostrate myself like a stick in the dust of the lotus feet of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, and pray to him with all the humility at my command to fully engage my body, mind, words, and me, spirit soul, in his transcendental loving service to his satisfaction. "yasya prasadad bhagavat-prasado, yasyaprasadan na-gatiḥ kuto 'pi. By the mercy of the spiritual master one is benedicted by the mercy of Krsna. If the spiritual master is displeased, one's whereabouts is unknown."

Brahmananda Svami