Category:A Spiritual Master Accepts Disciples
Theme Analysis
The act of accepting a disciple is described in Vedic literature as a highly serious and spiritually perilous endeavor. When a bona fide spiritual master initiates a student, he inherently accepts the responsibility of absorbing and neutralizing the disciple’s accumulated sinful reactions. This heavy burden can cause the guru to undergo physical or mental tribulation. Consequently, a genuine spiritual master does not blindly or eagerly accept anyone; he strictly tests the candidate's sincerity and demands adherence to rigid brahminical principles—such as chanting and refraining from meat-eating, intoxication, illicit sex, and gambling. Accepting disciples merely for material gain, monetary profit, or the prestige of having opulent followers is the mark of a professional, so-called guru. Despite the massive risks involved, authorized preachers in the line of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu accept many disciples out of immense compassion, aiming specifically to expand the mission of Kṛṣṇa consciousness and deliver the suffering souls of the world.
- Absorbing Sinful Karma: The process of initiation involves the spiritual master physically and spiritually taking on the past sinful reactions of the new disciple, which is a significant risk.
- Rigorous Testing and Observation: A bona fide guru does not accept followers blindly; there must be a period of mutual observation to ensure the disciple is genuinely sincere and capable.
- Strict Brahminical Conditions: Before being accepted, a candidate must agree to follow strict regulative principles, entirely giving up the pillars of sinful life.
- Rejecting Material Motives: A true teacher never accepts a student for the sake of accumulating wealth, expanding political influence, or advertising their own material opulence.
- Expanding the Preaching Mission: Despite the personal suffering it may cause, great ācāryas accept the risk of initiation purely to spread the mercy of the Lord across the globe.
- The Ultimate Spiritual Compassion: The willingness of the spiritual master to suffer on behalf of the fallen souls mirrors the ultimate divine mercy and is the highest form of welfare work.
- Explore the synthesized essence of this category in this Vanipedia article: The Grave Risk When a Spiritual Master Accepts Disciples.
Subcategories
This category has the following 6 subcategories, out of 6 total.
Pages in category "A Spiritual Master Accepts Disciples"
The following 47 pages are in this category, out of 47 total.
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- A devotee sometimes accepts a sinful person as his disciple, and to counteract the sinful reactions he accepts from the disciple, he has to see a bad dream
- A disciple’s qualifications must be observed by the spiritual master before he is accepted as a disciple
- A ksatriya, vaisya or sudra cannot be accepted as a servant. If a spiritual master accepts such a person, he is contaminated. Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya therefore asked why Isvara Puri accepted a servant or disciple born of a sudra family
- A spiritual master should not be very anxious to accept a disciple because of his material opulences. Sometimes a big businessman or landlord may approach a spiritual master for initiation
- According to Jiva Gosvami, a preacher has to accept many disciples to expand the cult of Sri Caitanya. This is risky because when a spiritual master accepts a disciple, he naturally accepts the disciple's sinful activities and their reactions
- According to Vedic principle, without becoming a brahmana he cannot be accepted as disciple
- After taking sannyasa I was more engaged in writing my books without any attempt to construct temples or to make disciples like my Godbrothers. I was not very much interested in these matters because my Guru Maharaja liked very much publication of books
- Anyone can see how the bona fide spiritual master accepts disciples from all over the world. The guru is a qualified brahmana; therefore he knows Brahman and Parabrahman. He thus devotes his life for the service of Parabrahman
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- I shall be very glad to accept an educated and intelligent disciple like you, but first of all we must meet and you should know whether you can accept me as your Spiritual Master, or I can accept you as my disciple. This is preliminary necessity
- If a so-called spiritual master accepts a disciple for his personal benefit or for material gain, the relationship between the spiritual master and the disciple turns into a material affair, and the spiritual master becomes like a smarta-guru
- In our Society also, we do not accept a disciple unless he's brahminically qualified: no meat-eating, no illicit sex, no gambling, no intoxication. These are brahminical
- It is best not to accept any disciples. One has to become purified at home by chanting the Hare Krsna and preaching the principles enunciated by Sri Caitanya. Thus one can become a spiritual master and be freed from the contamination of material life
- It is stated in the Upadesamrta of Rupa Gosvami that a guru is a gosvami, a controller of the senses and the mind. Such a guru can accept disciples from all over the world. Prthivim sa sisyat. This is the test of the guru
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- One should not try to be an artificially advanced devotee, thinking "I am a first-class devotee, so it is best not to accept any disciples." Such thinking should be avoided
- One who accepts a visayi disciple is not a bona fide spiritual master. Even if he is, his position may be damaged due to association with an unscrupulous visayi
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- Satyakam went to Gautama Muni for initiation. So formerly the spiritual master will not accept anybody as disciple if he is not born in a brahmin family. So he was asked, "Who is your father?" So he could not give his father's name
- So far as your taking initiation from Brahmananda Maharaja, I have no objection, but it is the etiquette that in the presence of one's Spiritual Master, one does not accept disciples
- Sometime ago you asked my permission for accepting some disciples, now the time is approaching very soon when you will have many disciples by your strong preaching work
- Sometimes a spiritual master takes the risk of being overwhelmed by the sinful reactions of the disciples and undergoes a sort of tribulation due to their acceptance. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu therefore advised that one not accept many disciples
- Sometimes even at a risk, a sannyasi in the line of Caitanya Mahaprabhu may accept even a person who is not thoroughly fit to become a disciple. Later on, by the mercy of such a bona fide spiritual master, the disciple is gradually elevated
- Sometimes the spiritual master, after accepting a disciple, must take charge of that disciple's past sinful activities and, being overloaded, must sometimes suffer - if not fully, then partially - for the sinful acts of the disciple
- Sri Narada Muni, the supreme spiritual master, is testing Dhruva Maharaja to see how determined he is to prosecute devotional service. This is the process of accepting a disciple
- Such a person (spiritual master who accepts disciples from all over the world) is called an acarya because he knows the principles of devotional service, he behaves in that way himself, and he teaches his disciples to follow in his footsteps
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- Thakura Saranga dasa was not accepting disciples, but he was repeatedly being inspired from within by the Supreme Personality of Godhead to do so
- The bona fide spiritual master who accepts disciples from all over the world is also worshiped all over the world because of his qualities. Lokanam asau pujyo yatha harih: the people of the world worship him just as they worship the SPG
- The institution of varna and asrama prescribes many regulative duties to be observed by its followers. Such duties enjoin that a candidate willing to study the Vedas must approach a bona fide spiritual master and request acceptance as his disciple
- The poor spiritual master is kind and merciful enough to accept a disciple and suffer for that disciple's sinful activities, but Krsna, being merciful to His servant, neutralizes the reactions of sinful deeds for the servant who engages in preaching
- The rules and regulation are that nobody should accept blindly any guru, and nobody should blindly accept any disciple. They must behave, one another, at least for one year
- The second-class devotee accepts disciples from the section of third-class devotees or nondevotees. Sometimes the first-class devotee also comes down to the category of the second-class devotee for preaching work
- The spiritual master accepts only the sincere inquirer as his disciple and gives him the sacred thread. In this way a man becomes twice-born, or a dvija. After qualifying as a dvija one may study the Vedas
- The spiritual master does not accept a materially opulent disciple just to advertise the fact that he has such a big disciple. He knows that by associating with such visayi disciples, he may fall down
- The spiritual master must not accept a disciple who is not qualified; he should not be professional and should not accept disciples for monetary gains
- The twelfth item is to give up the company of nondevotees. (13) One should not accept an unlimited number of disciples. (14) One should not partially study many scriptures just to be able to give references and expand explanations
- To accept disciples means to take up the responsibility of absorbing the sinful reaction of life of the disciple