Hare Krsna to all
Pranams
All glories to Srila Prabhupada
Every Hare Krsna devotee is aware of the guru tattva debate now going on, in and outside of iskcon.
Here are some direct statements by Srila Prabhupada where HE explains, and not us, what and who
is actually a liberated soul and therefore FIT for becoming a spiritual master. I would like to think that
most reasonable devotees would accept that Srila Prabhupada is a liberated soul and therefore himself
qualified to tell us all, who amongst us, if any, if also a liberated soul. And if one is not a liberated soul, then
he is not qualified to liberate any others, what to speak of becoming a spiritual master.
Hare Krsna
Damaghosa das
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770422r3.bom 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… Prabhupada: Hm. Tamala Krsna: …but not now. 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.
SB 4.20.16 Lord Visnu was very pleased with Maharaja Prthu’s good character and behavior and offered him a benediction. The Lord openly says that performing great sacrifices or undergoing the austerities of mystic yoga practice cannot satisfy Him. He is pleased only by elevated character and behavior. But these cannot develop unless one becomes a pure devotee of the Lord. Anyone who has developed unalloyed, unflinching devotional service unto the Lord develops his original good qualities as spirit soul. The spirit soul, as part and parcel of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, has all the good qualities of the Lord. When the spirit soul is contaminated by the material modes of nature, one is considered good or bad with reference to the material qualities. But when one is transcendental to all material qualities, all the good qualities come out. These qualities of a devotee, twenty-six in number, are listed as follows: (1) kind to everyone, (2) does not quarrel with anyone, (this one alone eliminates about 99.9% of all of us)
(3) fixed in the Absolute Truth, (4)equal to everyone, (5) faultless, (6) charitable, (7) mild, (8) clean, (9) simple, (10) benevolent, (11) peaceful, (12) completely attached to Krsna, (13) has no material hankering, (14) meek, (15) steady, (16) self-controlled, (17) does not eat more than required, (18) sane, (19) respectful, (20) humble, (21) grave, (22) compassionate,
(23)friendly, (24) poetic, (25) expert, (26) silent. The Lord is satisfied by development of the transcendental qualities of the living entity and not by artificial performance of sacrifices and mystic yoga. In other words, unless one is fully qualified to become a pure devotee of the Lord, one cannot expect to be liberated from material entanglement.
740412BG.BOM Knowledge should be taken from the perfect person. Because if you take knowledge from a person who is defective, your knowledge has no value. You must take knowledge from the perfect.
69-06-10.Mukunda– The answer to your Istagosthi questions are as follows: Unless one is a resident of Krishna Loka, one cannot be a Spiritual Master. That is the first proposition. A layman cannot be a Spiritual Master, and if he becomes so then he will simply create disturbance. And who is a liberated person? One who knows Krishna. It is stated in BG, fourth chapter, anyone who knows Krishna in truth is immediately liberated, and after quitting the present body, he immediately goes to Krishna. That means he becomes a resident of Krishna Loka. As soon as one is liberated he is immediately a resident of Krishna Loka, and anyone who knows the truth of Krishna can become Spiritual Master. That is the version of Lord Caitanya. So to summarize the whole thing, it is to be understood that a bonafide Spiritual Master is a resident of Krishna Loka. Your next question, whether the Spiritual Master was formerly a conditioned soul, actually a bonafide Spiritual Master is never a conditioned soul. There are three kinds of liberated persons. They are called 1) sadhan siddha, 2) kripa siddha, and 3) nitya siddha. Sadhan siddha means one who has attained perfection by executing the regulative principles of devotional service. Kripa siddha means one who has attained perfection by the special mercy of Krishna and the
Spiritual Master, and nitya siddha means one who was never contaminated. The symptoms of nitya siddha is that from the beginning of his life he is attached to Krishna, and he is never tired of rendering service to Krishna. So we have to know what is what by these symptoms. But when one is actually on the siddha platform there is no such distinction as to who is sadhan, kripa, or nitya siddha. When one is siddha, there is no distinction what is what. Just like when the river water glides down to the Atlantic Ocean nobody can distinguish which portion was the Hudson River or some other river. Neither is there any necessity to make any such distinction. Actually, every living entity is eternally uncontaminated, although he may be in the material touch. This is the version of the Vedas. Asanga ayam purusha–the living entity is uncontaminated. Just like when there is a drop of oil in water you can immediately distinguish the oil from the water, and the water never mixes with the oil. Similarly, a living entity, although in material contact, is always distinct from the matter. You are correct when you say that when the Spiritual Master speaks it should be taken that Krishna is speaking. That is a fact. A Spiritual Master must be liberated. It does not matter if he has come
from Krishna Loka or he is liberated from here. But he must be liberated. The science of how one is liberated is explained above, but when one is liberated, there is no need of distinction whether he has come directly from Krishna Loka or from the material world. But in the broader sense everyone comes from Krishna Loka. When one forgets Krishna he is conditioned, when one remembers Krishna he is liberated. I hope this will clear up these points. I hope this will meet you in good health.
Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami
“UNLESS ONE IS UNDER THE SHELTER OF A REALIZED SPIRITUAL MASTER, HIS UNDERSTANDING OF THE SUPREME IS SIMPLY FOOLISHNESS.” TLC.
When a devotee is perfectly qualified in chanting the Transcendental vibration of the Holy Names, he is quite fit to become SM and deliver all the people of the world. (TLC)
751009BG.DUR–Lectures– “The Supreme Personality…” Bhagavan means He does not cheat you. Others, they will give you instruction and cheat you, because anyone who is not liberated, he has got four defects of his life: he commits mistake, he is illusioned, he cheats and his senses are imperfect. This is called conditioned soul, everyone..
Prabhupada: No, why? Krsna book must be there, in the book must be there. Acyutananda: But in public… Prabhupada: But you should go gradually. You should go gradually. You first of all understand Krsna, then krsna-lila. If you have not understood Krsna, then you’ll think Krsna’s rasa-lila is just like we mix with young women. And that becomes as polluted. Because they do not understand Krsna. Manusyanam sahasresu kascid yatati siddhaye yatatam api siddhanam. Krsna understanding so easy? If you do not understand Krsna how can you go to the Krsna’s confidential activities? Acyutananda: Some of the devotees, they said that it is for liberated souls. So they said, “Well, we are all liberated.” Prabhupada: Yes. Liberated for going to hell . Devotee: In your Krsna book, Srila Prabhupada, you’ve given such clear explanations along with the stories of Krsna that it’s very difficult to misinterpret, because you use such clear explanation. Prabhupada: No, you read all the books first of all. Then you’ll be able to understand. [Srila Prabhupada Room Conversation, August 16, 1976, Bombay]
