Qualifications to become Guru-One Must be a Paramahamsa, and no less.

What that means is given below.

 

710409SB.BOM                   Lectures                 

   So anyway, our point is that paramahamsa means one who has no such

dirty things in the heart, bhukti-mukti-siddhi. All, they are dirty

things. Bhukti means material enjoyment, mukti means to become, to

merge into the existence of the Supreme Lord, and siddhi means

yoga-siddhi. So they are all dirty things. So such dirty…, a person

with such dirty things, he is not paramahamsa.

 He may be a sannyasi,but he’s not a paramahamsa.

Paramahamsa means who has no dirty things.

 

                         anyabhilasita-sunyam

                        jnana-karmady-anavrtam

                         anukulyena krsnanu-

                        silanam bhaktir uttama

 

So all the bhaktas, those who are pure devotees, he is paramahamsa.

   So Krsna comes to teach this highest science of devotion to make

people paramahamsas. Not these dirty karmis, jnanis, and yogis.

Krsna’s business is… Therefore Krsna, first condition, says,

sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam: “Just you surrender unto Me

and I shall make you a paramahamsa.” Then you will be able to see

always Krsna.

 

761101SB.VRN                    Lectures

This is religion. Adau gurvasrayam. If you do not get a  qualified guru, then everything is bogus. If you, by good fortune, if you  get the association of a guru, qualified hamsa, paramahamsa…  Paramahamsa guru means sannyasi’s last stage is paramahamsa. Kuticaka,  bahudaka, parivrajakacarya, and paramahamsa, these are the different  stages. When one takes sannyasa, he lives outside the village in a kuti, in  a cottage, and the family members goes and delivers him the food, because  he is not practiced. So in the beginning, he keeps up this association of  neighborhood or family, but he is not practiced. He therefore lives outside  the village, and if somebody gives some food, he eats. Then when he becomes  experienced, then he does not accept food from one, either his own home or  one home. He takes foodstuff from many homes: “Give me a little piece of  capati.” So somebody gives half, because they are also not overburdened. If  they have to deliver, so many sannyasis come, and sumptuous food, then how  the grhastha will provide? Therefore though… They do not overburden. There  may be other sannyasis, therefore little only. Madhupuri. The  Gosvamis practiced this madhupuri in Vrndavana. They lived, but they would  take little only from the house. This is called bahudaka. Then when he  has practiced more, he travels all over the world, parivrajakacarya.  And when he is fully experienced, then, in spiritual life and  everything, then he is paramahamsa. So one must find out a guru  who is paramahamsa. Neither kuticaka, nor bahudaka, nor  parivrajakacarya. Paramahamsa. ….

Then our strong desire to  enjoy this material world in different way, that will be slackened. That is  wanted.    Thank you very much.

 

Madhya 24.330   In the Padma Purana, the characteristics of the guru, the bona fide
spiritual master, have been described:

maha-bhagavata-srestho
brahmano vai gurur nrnam
sarvesam eva lokanam
asau pujyo yatha harih

maha-kula-prasuto ‘pi
sarva-yajnesu diksitah
sahasra-sakhadhyayi ca
na guruh syad avaisnavah

 

The guru must be situated on the topmost platform of devotional
service. There are three classes of devotees, and the guru must be
accepted from the topmost class. … When one has attained the topmost position of
maha-bhagavata, he is to be accepted as a guru and worshiped exactly
like Hari, the Personality of Godhead. Only such a person is eligible
to occupy the post of a guru. 

 

Conclusion

It has become quite fashionable in this day to cheat people in the manner of presenting oneself as a highly elevated soul and therefore be quite capable of delivering other souls from the material mire.So, many such illusioned  people in this age take up the role of Guru, Spiritual Master, or Acarya.

 

Our Srila Prabhupada, A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami, has made it quite clear, at least from his own books, which is our standard by which to judge such pretentious persons . This means that for a person to take on the business of initiating others into the cult of bhakti yoga, according to Srila Prabhupada, that person must be so ordered by his own guru ,AND be highly qualified. Mentioned briefly above are some of those immense qualifications.

 

In the present day iskcon organization, it has become the norm to accept somebody as guru, with a no objection vote,  after obtaining which that person is now certified by them. to be qualified to take his own disciples and begin his business as “spiritual master”.

 

Of course this is utter nonsense since as Srila Prabhupada has told us, guru doesn’t become guru by votes of some council of men.  A real guru is selected by the Lord Himself, authorized by the Lord Himself and lastly this person has the personal qualifications by which he can perform this intricate function on behalf of the Supreme Lord. The above two lectures and purport, prove this point-that a real guru has to be highly qualified, he MUST be from the Paramahamsa order of life and nothing less !! Otherwise if one accepts  a person without these immense qualifications, it is sure he will be cheated and thereby his spiritual life will be ruined.

Or as Srila Prabhupada says above…”everything is bogus”.

Hare Krsna

Damaghosa das