View source for Who needs a guru? A third-class, fourth-class man, ordinary man, doesn't require a guru. To keep a guru or to have a guru is not a fashion. One who is very serious to understand spiritual life, he requires a guru. Otherwise, there is no need of guru

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[[Category:Needing a Spiritual Master]]
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<h2>Lectures</h2>
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<h3>General Lectures</h3>
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Who needs a guru? A third-class, fourth-class man, ordinary man, doesn't require a guru. Guru, to keep a guru or to have a guru, is not a fashion. One who is very serious to understand spiritual life, he requires a guru. Otherwise, there is no need of guru. Just like you keep a dog as a fashion, don't keep a guru. Guru means . . . is a question of necessity. One must be very serious to understand what is spiritual life, what is God, what is my relation with God, how to act. When we are very much serious on this subject matter, then we require a guru. Don't go to a guru as a matter of fashion.
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[[Vanisource:730822 - Lecture - London|730822 - Lecture - London]]
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There is one instance in Caitanya Mahāprabhu's life. One gentleman, (he) is Vallabha Ācārya. He was very much devotee of Caitanya Mahāprabhu. He wrote one comment on Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Subodhinī-ṭīkā, it is called. That is recognized, nice ṭīkā, comment. But he approached Caitanya Mahāprabhu. He was very great devotee of Caitanya Mahāprabhu. So he simply said that "Caitanya Mahāprabhu, Lord Caitanya, if You hear my comment on the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, You'll find it is far better than Śrīdhara Svāmī's." Śrīdhara Svāmī is the very old commentator. So Caitanya Mahāprabhu immediately rejected: "Oh, you are claiming that you have written something better than Śrīdhara Svāmī? Oh." He chastised him. Svāmī means another . . . He sarcastically remarked, the word svāmī, Śrīdhara Svāmī, svāmī, another svāmī means "husband." So He said, svāmī jīva nahi mane besa bali guni: "I think one who does not recognize svāmī, he's a prostitute." He immediately said: "You do not recognize Śrīdhara Svāmī, then you are a prostitute. How can I hear from a prostitute?" He refused. Only word that, "I have written better than Svāmī."

So this is the process of guru. You cannot disobey the previous ācārya or guru. No. You have to repeat the same thing. Not research. Sometimes rascals come, that "You are speaking the same thing. Why don't you speak something new by research work?" (chuckles) We say that we have no intelligence; we cannot make any research. We are . . . guru more mūrkha dekhi koriyā vicāra ([[Vanisource:CC Adi 7.71|CC Adi 7.71]]). Caitanya Mahāprabhu said that, "My Guru Mahārāja saw Me a great fool number one." So one who remains a great fool number one before his guru, he is guru. And one who says that, "I'm advanced so much that I can speak better than my guru," then he's rascal. This is the process.

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:evaṁ paramparā-prāptam
:imaṁ rājarṣayo viduḥ
:sa kāleneha (mahatā)
:yogo naṣṭaḥ parantapa 
:([[Vanisource:BG 4.2 (1972)|BG 4.2]])
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Kṛṣṇa said in the Fourth Chapter.

So guru is one. Guru cannot be two. As soon as you find two opinions of guru, either both of them are rascals, or one is still at least a rascal. There cannot be two. This is guru. Another place it is said:

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:tasmād guruṁ prapadyeta
:jijñāsuḥ śreya uttamam
:śābde pare ca niṣṇātaṁ
:brahmaṇy upaśamāśrayam 
:([[Vanisource:SB 11.3.21|SB 11.3.21]])
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Who needs a guru? A third-class, fourth-class man, ordinary man, doesn't require a guru. Guru, to keep a guru or to have a guru, is not a fashion. One who is very serious to understand spiritual life, he requires a guru. Otherwise, there is no need of guru. Just like you keep a dog as a fashion, don't keep a guru. Guru means . . . is a question of necessity. One must be very serious to understand what is spiritual life, what is God, what is my relation with God, how to act. When we are very much serious on this subject matter, then we require a guru. Don't go to a guru as a matter of fashion. That is useless. That is useless. Therefore śāstra says, tasmād guruṁ prapadyeta. Because we have to go to guru and surrender there. Without surrendering, you cannot learn anything. If you want to challenge guru, it is not possible. Then you'll learn nothing. Tasmād guruṁ prapadyeta. Praṇipātena.

So just like Arjuna accepted Kṛṣṇa as guru, he said, śiṣyas te 'haṁ śādhi māṁ tvāṁ prapannam ([[Vanisource:BG 2.7 (1972)|BG 2.7]]): "I am now surrendered unto You." That is the process. Tad viddhi praṇipātena paripraśnena sevayā ([[Vanisource:BG 4.34 (1972)|BG 4.34]]). To . . . guru means Kṛṣṇa's representative, former ācāryas representative. Kṛṣṇa's . . . all ācāryas are representative of Kṛṣṇa; therefore guru should be offered the same respect as you offer to God. Tasmād guruṁ prapadyeta ([[Vanisource:SB 11.3.21|SB 11.3.21]]). Therefore Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura says, yasya prasādād bhagavat-prasādo. Because guru is bona fide representative of Kṛṣṇa, or God, so if you surrender to guru, bona fide guru, that means you surrender to God. God is accepting your surrenderance through the guru. Yasya prasādād bhagavat-prasādo. If you surrender to guru, that means Kṛṣṇa is pleased. Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja ([[Vanisource:BG 18.66 (1972)|BG 18.66]]): surrender. That somebody argues, "Where is Kṛṣṇa, I shall surrender?" No. You surrender to His representative, then you surrender to Kṛṣṇa. This is the process.
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