Becomes guru
Lectures
Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures
Lecture on BG 2.9 -- London, August 15, 1973: And in previous verse he has said, śiṣyas te 'haṁ prapannam: [Bg. 2.7] "I am Your surrendered disciple." So Kṛṣṇa becomes guru, and Arjuna becomes the disciple. Formerly they were talking as friends. But friendly talking cannot decide any serious question. When there is some serious matter, it must be spoken between authorities.
Lecture on BG 7.1 -- Ahmedabad, December 13, 1972: Generally, a qualified brāhmaṇa becomes guru. That is natural. Brāhmaṇa is the head of the society. So he is... And without becoming brāhmaṇa, nobody can become guru. That is also fact. Because brāhmaṇa means brahma jānātīti brāhmaṇaḥ, one who knows Brahman, Brahman. So guru must be a brāhmaṇa, mean a qualified brāhmaṇa, not born-brāhmaṇa, so-called brāhmaṇa. Qualified brāhmaṇa.
Lecture on BG 13.8-12 -- Bombay, September 30, 1973: If you do not take your initiation mantra from the sampradāya, then it is useless. Now, there are so many apasampradāya. They do not come in disciplic succession, but becomes guru, teacher. Therefore everything is topsy-turvied. Nobody has got fixed idea what is God. Everyone has created his own philosophy. The whole thing is now confused.
Lecture on BG 16.8 -- Tokyo, January 28, 1975: There are so many opposing elements. Then you are guru. Otherwise you cannot become a guru. Guru is not so teeny thing or trifle thing that everyone becomes Guru Mahārāja, no. That is not guru. Sa mahātmā... Vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti sa mahātmā sudurlabhaḥ [Bg. 7.19].
Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures
Lecture on SB 1.16.20 -- Hawaii, January 16, 1974: So we must follow the footprints of saintly persons, mahājano yena gataḥ sa panthāḥ [Cc. Madhya 17.186]. That is the way. We have to follow great superior personalities, just like ṣaḍ-gosvāmī. Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura says, ei chay gosāñi jāṅr mui tāṅr dāsa: "I become servant, servant or disciple, of such a person who follows the footprints of the six Gosvāmīs." Otherwise one becomes guru, anyone, just like nowadays they become.
Lecture on SB 3.25.13 -- Bombay, November 13, 1974: What Kṛṣṇa has spoken. That's all. So even one is not very learned scholar, Sanskrit scholar, everyone has got this ear. He can hear from Kṛṣṇa and Kṛṣṇa's representative and assimilate what is spoken by Kṛṣṇa, and he can repeat the same. Then he becomes guru. That is the mission of Caitanya Mahāprabhu. He said,
- bhārata-bhūmite haila manuṣya-janma yāra
- janma sārthaka kari' kara para-upakāra
- [Cc. Ādi 9.41]
Lecture on SB 3.28.1 -- Honolulu, June 1, 1975: "Oh, he is my son. What instruction I shall take from him? I know better than him." No. Son or anyone, anyone, if he knows the science of Kṛṣṇa he becomes guru. This is the Vedic system. It doesn't matter. Caitanya Mahāprabhu approved this. Caitanya Mahāprabhu was born in a very respectable brāhmaṇa family.
Lecture on SB 5.5.15 -- Vrndavana, November 3, 1976: Two things are there: either you get the mercy of Kṛṣṇa or go to hell. Nivartante mṛtyu-saṁsāra-vartmani. Two things are there. Aśraddhadhānāḥ puruṣā dharmasyāsya parantapa. Kṛṣṇa comes. Here is also Kṛṣṇa's incarnation, Ṛṣabhadeva. He is instructing. So Kṛṣṇa comes to instruct us. He becomes guru.
So the aim of life is to go back home, back to Godhead.
Lecture on SB 6.1.21 -- Honolulu, May 21, 1976: You have simply to say, "This is this." That's all. Is it very difficult task? Father said, "This is microphone." A child can say that "Father said this is microphone." He becomes guru. Where is the difficulty? The authority, father, has said, "This is microphone." A child only can say, "This is microphone." So similarly, Kṛṣṇa says that "I am the Supreme." So if I say, "Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme," where is my difficulty, unless I cheat others to become the Kṛṣṇa or the Supreme?
Lecture on SB 7.9.14 -- Mayapur, February 21, 1976: And sad-vaiṣṇava śvapaco guruḥ. If a person is born in the low-grade family and has become a Vaiṣṇava, he becomes guru. This is śāstric injunction, and that is the order of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, that "You become a guru." He does not say, "Because you are brāhmaṇa or a kṣatriya, you become guru. No. "Every one of you, become a guru." How? Yāre dekha tāre kaha kṛṣṇa-upadeśa: [Cc. Madhya 7.128] You simply learn the science of Kṛṣṇa and teach it; then you become guru.
Nectar of Devotion Lectures
The Nectar of Devotion -- Vrndavana, November 12, 1972: That is brāhmaṇa. And brāhmaṇa's duty is for paropakāra. Paṭhana pāṭhana yajana yājana dāna pratigraha. Ṣaṭ-karma-nipuṇo vipro mantra-tantra-viśāradaḥ, avaiṣṇava-gurur na sa syāt. A... One who is Vaiṣṇava... Just like Caitanya Mahāprabhu. He becomes guru because He's udāra. Vaiṣṇava means para-duḥkha-duḥkhī.
Festival Lectures
Sri Vyasa-puja -- Hyderabad, August 19, 1976:
Prabhupāda: So this is the guru's qualification. Guru does not show any magic or produce some wonderful things then he becomes guru. So practically I have done this. People are giving me credit that I have done miracles, but my miracle is that I carried the message of Caitanya Mahāprabhu: yāre dekha tāre kaha 'kṛṣṇa'-upadeśa [Cc. Madhya 7.128].
General Lectures
Lecture Excerpt -- Vrndavana, December 6, 1975:
Prabhupāda: So if you become guru, teacher, remembering the order of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, then you will never fall down. He will save you. And how one becomes guru? That is also very easy. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu says, yāre dekha tāre kaha kṛṣṇa upadeśa [Cc. Madhya 7.128]. You haven't got to manufacture anything. Simply you try to repeat the instruction of Bhagavad-gītā, kṛṣṇa upadeśa. Not only Bhagavad-gītā; there are many other instructions. Especially Bhagavad-gītā.
Conversations and Morning Walks
1968 Conversations and Morning Walks
Interview -- September 24, 1968, Seattle: Prabhupāda: Our guru or spiritual master comes down from that disciplic succession. It is not that, that somebody all of a sudden becomes guru and manufactures his own philosophy. We don't accept such nonsense. We must accept somebody who is actually bona fide, coming in disciplic succession, not others.
1972 Conversations and Morning Walks
Room Conversation -- June 29, 1972, San Diego:
Prabhupāda: If one cannot carry out the order of Caitanya Mahāprabhu, then how he can become a guru? The first qualification is that he must be able to carry out the order of Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Then he becomes guru. So that carrying out the order of Caitanya Mahāprabhu depends on one's personal capacity. Āmāra ājñāya guru hañā. Acceptance of Caitanya Mahāprabhu as Kṛṣṇa, that is there in the śāstra, in the Upaniṣads, in Mahābhārata, in Bhāgavata.
Conversation with Bajaj and Bhusan -- September 11, 1972, Arlington, Texas, At Their Home:
Prabhupāda: There is paramparā. So there is symptoms of guru not that everyone becomes guru. These are controversial points.
1974 Conversations and Morning Walks
Morning Walk -- February 23, 1974, Bombay:
Prabhupāda: Yes. So if you, if the guru is in the lower standard, then how he becomes guru?
Dr. Patel: No, that guru who knows that he has no real material body, he's beyond the body consciousness, that is right.
Prabhupāda: No, no! Even the material body's there...
Dr. Patel: Guru thinks so, but what about this...
Prabhupāda: Even the material body is there, still he's to be taken as spiritual. That is the philosophy. The example is given: just like you have got an iron stick. You put it in the fire, and it becomes warm. And when it is red-hot, it is no more iron stick. It is fire. Do you accept this?
Dr. Patel: I accept it.1975 Conversations and Morning Walks
Room Conversation with Press Representative -- March 21, 1975, Calcutta:
Prabhupāda: How it not be scientific? It is spoken by God. Cātur-varnyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭaṁ guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ [Bg. 4.13]. Required. Just like in this institution, I am guru, and if everyone becomes guru, then who will carry out the order of guru? There must be disciple also, who will carry out the order of guru. So it is not required... Just like in your body, it is not that body is made of head only, but head is required.
Morning Walk -- November 14, 1975, Bombay:
Prabhupāda: So if one does not understand what is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, then māyayāpahṛta-jñānā—he has no knowledge. Knowledge means ultimately he must know what is God. That is knowledge. Ye kṛṣṇa tattva vetta sei guru haya. Anyone who knows Kṛṣṇa, he becomes guru. Otherwise not. The first test is you may be scientist, philosopher, educationist, whatever you may be, but ask him, "Do you know Kṛṣṇa?" If he says, "No," then he is a fool. That's all. This is the test. (chuckles) Hare Kṛṣṇa. So Ambarisa Mahārāja, do you agree?
1976 Conversations and Morning Walks
Evening Darsana -- July 10, 1976, New York:
Prabhupāda: Find out this. He is guru who is preaching what Kṛṣṇa has taught. He is guru, not that anyone and everyone becomes guru. No. If you want to be cheated by such rascal guru, that is your business, but who is guru, that is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā. No? Anyone who preaches the teachings of Kṛṣṇa, he is guru. Caitanya Mahāprabhu also says, āmāra ājñāya guru hañā tāra' ei deśa: [Cc. Madhya 7.128] "You become a guru on My order."
Room Conversation with Life Member, Mr. Malhotra -- December 22, 1976, Poona:
Prabhupāda: No. This is Vedic injunction. Tad vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum eva abhigacchet. Abhigacchet, this word is used. This means must, vidhilin.(?) This is the form of vidhilin, in grammar. Vidhilin is applied when there is no question of duality. You must. If you want to know that transcendental science, you must approach guru. Śrotriyaṁ brahma-niṣṭham. And who is guru? Samit-pāṇiḥ śrotriyam. Śrotriyam means one who is guru by hearing from his guru, śrotriyam. This is paramparā. Not that all of a sudden he becomes guru. No. That is not guru. Guru means śrotriyam. Śrotriyaṁ brahma-niṣṭham [MU 1.2.12]. And after hearing perfectly from his guru, he is brahma-niṣṭham. Just like Arjuna, after hearing from Kṛṣṇa, his guru, he became devotee of Kṛṣṇa. Not became. He was devotee. Still he became perfect devotee. Brahma-niṣṭham. This is the guru's qualification.