1.) May 30 1976 Honolulu
Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Śrīla Prabhupāda, I am just trying to clarify—I don’t want to offend anyone—but no disciple of yours should call himself dīkṣā-guru or śikṣā-guru. Am I right?
Prabhupāda: Well, everyone is engaged to become śikṣā-guru, but one should become perfect. The attempt is—what is called?—probationer. When probationer period is finished, then he is naturally, automatically, bona fide guru. Not in the probationer period. That is immature attempt. That will failure. Āmāra ājñāya [Cc. Madhya 7.128], Caitanya Mahāprabhu said “By My order.” So all my disciples are expected to become śikṣā-guru on my order, not by his own order.
2.) Jan 31 1977 Bhuvanesvara
Guest (1): Are you knowing people take dīkṣā from many gurus?
Prabhupāda: No, dīkṣā-guru is one. But śikṣā-guru can be many.
Guest (1): But suppose dīkṣā gurus or people take one mantra from one guru and other one…
Prabhupāda: Then you have not selected guru. You have selected some rascal. Guru can be…, cannot be different. Guru means one who knows the science of Kṛṣṇa. Yei kṛṣṇa-tattva-vettā sei guru haya [Cc. Madhya 8.128]. Anyone who knows the science… So suppose if you want to become medical man, you must go to a qualified medical man to learn. And if you go to a pānwālā, what he’ll teach you? That is your mistake. Guru cannot be different. Guru is one, one who knows the science of Kṛṣṇa. If he does not know, then he is not guru. Why should you go there?
Guest (1): How should we know that he knows about Kṛṣṇa?
Prabhupāda: That requires your fortune. Little intelligence. Therefore Caitanya Mahāprabhu says, ei rūpe brahmāṇḍa bhramite kona bhāgyavān jīva [Cc. Madhya 19.151]. That intelligence is for the most fortunate person. That is not ordinary thing. But guru means who knows the science of Kṛṣṇa. If you go to a bogus man, that is your misfortune. So this is the description of guru, yei kṛṣṇa-tattva-vettā sei guru haya, Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s statement.
kibā vipra kibā nyāsī śūdra kene naya yei kṛṣṇa-tattva-vettā sei guru haya [Cc. Madhya 8.128]
It doesn’t matter whether he is a sannyāsī or gṛhastha or a brāhmaṇa or śūdra. It doesn’t matter. If he knows the science of Kṛṣṇa, then he remains guru.
Guest (1): Science of Kṛṣṇa. If he knows about Bhāgavatam, Bhagavad-gītā, or anything else…
Prabhupāda: To know about Kṛṣṇa. It is not also difficult. Science of Kṛṣṇa is there, Bhagavad-gītā. Kṛṣṇa speaks Himself. So to know the science of Kṛṣṇa is also not difficult. But because we are unfortunate, we go to rascal, and they interpret Bhagavad-gītā in a rascaldom way, and we are missing. So you should be very careful not to go to a rascal. Then your mission will be successful. If you want to purchase gold, you must go to a shop where actually gold is purchased, gold. If you do not know, then you’ll be cheated. That is not also very difficult. That I have repeatedly said. Those who are interpreting in their own way, Bhagavad-gītā, he’s a rascal; he’s not guru. (loud kīrtana in background) As soon as he says an interpretation, “I think like this,” you reject that.
3.) SB 2.9.8 purport…One has to receive the transcendental sound from the right source, accept it as a reality and prosecute the direction without hesitation. The secret of success is to receive the sound from the right source of a bona fide spiritual master. Mundane manufactured sound has no potency, and as such, seemingly transcendental sound received from an unauthorized person also has no potency. One should be qualified enough to discern such transcendental potency, and either by discriminating or by fortunate chance if one is able to receive the transcendental sound from the bona fide spiritual master, his path of liberation is guaranteed. The disciple, however, must be ready to execute the order of the bona fide spiritual master as Lord Brahmā executed the instruction of his spiritual master, the Lord Himself. Following the order of the bona fide spiritual master is the only duty of the disciple, and this completely faithful execution of the order of the bona fide spiritual master is the secret of success.
4.) March 13 1975 Tehran
Prabhupāda: So do that. Don’t approach the cheater guru, bluffer guru, and be cheated. Stop this business. This has spoiled the whole spiritual atmosphere of the world. Take guru, the supreme guru, Kṛṣṇa.
5.) Oct 3 1976 Vrndavana
But Kṛṣṇa, as soon as He was accepted by Arjuna as guru… Śiṣyas te ‘haṁ śādhi māṁ prapannam: [Bg. 2.7] “Now, Kṛṣṇa, I accept You as my guru. Not as friend.” Because friendly talking is useless waste of time. He accepted Him as guru. When guru speaks, you cannot argue. That is not the process. You should accept a guru who is infallible. Otherwise it is useless. He accepted guru Kṛṣṇa because Kṛṣṇa is infallible.If we accept guru, a bogus guru, then it is no benefit. Guru means Kṛṣṇa’s representative. Not that everyone can be guru.
6.) March 2 1966 NY–Now, to take such guidance means the spiritual master should also be a very perfect man. Otherwise, how can he guide? …Therefore one has to select a spiritual master whose order, carrying, you’ll not commit a mistake. You see? Now, suppose if you accept a wrong person as spiritual master, and if you, if he guides you wrongly, then your whole life is spoiled. So one has to accept a spiritual master whose guidance will make his life perfect. That is the relation between spiritual master and disciple. It is not a formality. It is a great responsibility both for the disciple and for the spiritual master
7.) Jan 29 1973 letter to Sukadeva
Yes, the spiritual master is also present in his picture, though more importantly he is present in his teachings. I think this is explained in one letter that has already been distributed. If you have further questions try to get them resolved by your GBC man, Karandhar, because now I wish to spend all of my time for translating my books like Srimad-Bhagavatam, so I may give them to you.
8.)Madhya 24.330
…. 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.
…. 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.
Some Conclusions— Srila Prabhupada clearly states in the beginning quotes that unless one is fortunate and has the intelligence he or she will not find the bona fide guru. They will be cheated. So even if one stumbles upon the Hare Krsna Movement, he or she will find so many different “choices” they have to make regarding which “guide” or “guru” they will take to elevate them to spiritual life. This is a very important stage right in the beginning of our spiritual quest.
When I first joined this movement I asked the same question-how do I know this spiritual master (SP) will take me back to Godhead? The first example given was about identifying gold. If you dont know what it is, then pyrite, also called “fools gold’ will attract your attention instead of the real gold. So in order to not be cheated WE must become familiar with the science of devotional service. And that is why Srila Prabhupada wrote so many books. For us to identify reality from illusion. To know the real guru from all the fake gurus we see today. So if we chose the wrong spiritual master, the fault lays only on our laps because the information is already there in Srila Prabhupadas books. Better to read those books and nicely go forward to the Lotus feet of Sri Radha Krsna.
Hare Krsna
damaghosa das
Sri Sri Radha Giri Manohar with one of Their cows offering her milk and flowers