View source for It is stated by Lord Krsna, "My dear Uddhava, the spiritual master must be accepted not only as My representative but as My very self. He must never be considered on the same level with an ordinary human being"

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[[Category:Krsna's Statements]]
[[Category:Dear to Krsna]]
[[Category:Krsna and Uddhava]]
[[Category:Krsna and the Spiritual Master]]
[[Category:A Spiritual Master Must]]
[[Category:A Spiritual Master Must Be]]
[[Category:Accepted as a Spiritual Master]]
[[Category:Not Only]]
[[Category:Krsna's Representative]]
[[Category:Krsna's Self]]
[[Category:A Spiritual Master Must Not]]
[[Category:Never]]
[[Category:Consider]]
[[Category:On The Same Level]]
[[Category:With]]
[[Category:A Spiritual Master Is Not An Ordinary Man]]
[[Category:The Nectar of Devotion Chapter 07 - Evidence Regarding Devotional Principles]]
[[Category:The Nectar of Devotion Chapters 01 to 51]]
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<h2>Other Books by Srila Prabhupada</h2>
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<h3>Nectar of Devotion</h3>
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Regarding accepting initiation from the spiritual master, in the Eleventh Canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, 17th Chapter, 27nd verse, it is stated by Lord Kṛṣṇa: "My dear Uddhava, the spiritual master must be accepted not only as My representative but as My very self. He must never be considered on the same level with an ordinary human being.
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[[Vanisource:NOD 7 (1970)|Nectar of Devotion, 7]]
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Sage Prabuddha continued to speak to the King as follows: "My dear King, a disciple has to accept the spiritual master not only as spiritual master, but also as the representative of the Supreme Personality of Godhead and the supersoul. In other words, the disciple should accept the spiritual master as God because he is the external manifestation of Kṛṣṇa." This is confirmed in every scripture, and a disciple should accept the spiritual master as such. One should learn Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam seriously and with all respect and veneration for the spiritual master. Hearing and speaking Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is the religious process which elevates one to the platform of serving and loving the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

The attitude of the disciple should always be to satisfy the bona fide spiritual master. Then it will be very easy for him to understand spiritual knowledge. This is confirmed in the Vedas, and it will be further explained by Rūpa Gosvāmī that, for a person who has unflinching faith in God and the spiritual master, everything becomes revealed very easily.

To Serve the Spiritual Master with Faith and Confidence

Regarding accepting initiation from the spiritual master, in the Eleventh Canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, [[Vanisource:SB 11.17.27|17th Chapter, 22nd verse]], it is stated by Lord Kṛṣṇa: "My dear Uddhava, the spiritual master must be accepted not only as My representative but as My very self. He must never be considered on the same level with an ordinary human being. One should never be envious of the spiritual master, as one may be envious of an ordinary man. The spiritual master should always be seen as the representative of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and by serving the spiritual master, one is able to serve all the demigods."

To Follow in the Footsteps of Saintly Persons

In the Skanda Purāṇa it is advised that a devotee follow the past ācāryas and saintly persons because by such following one can achieve the desired results, with no chance of lamenting or being baffled in his progress.

In the scripture known as Brahma-yāmala it is stated as follows: "If someone wants to pose himself as a great devotee without following the authorities of the revealed scriptures, then his activities will never help him to make progress in devotional service. Instead, he will simply create disturbances for the sincere students of devotional service." Those who do not strictly follow the principles of revealed scriptures are generally called sahajiyā, those who have imagined everything to be cheap, and who have their own concocted ideas, and who do not follow the scriptural injunctions. Such persons are simply creating disturbances in the discharge of devotional service.
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