Category:A Spiritual Master Is Not
Theme Analysis
The compilation of quotes regarding what a spiritual master is not sets clear boundaries to protect sincere seekers from being cheated by frauds. A bona fide guru is never a mundane speculator, a paid agent, or an enjoyer of his disciples' wealth. He never falsely claims to be God, nor is he merely a showbottle or a status symbol for householders. Śrīla Prabhupāda stresses that the guru is always the humble servant of the Lord, strictly repeating the exact message of the disciplic succession without invention.
- Not a Speculator: A true guru does not invent new philosophies or theoretical speculations; he repeats the old, standard truths.
- Not God: Though respected on the level of God, a bona fide spiritual master never claims to be the Supreme Lord; he claims only to be His servant.
- Not a Paid Agent: Unlike modern schoolmasters, the guru does not impart spiritual knowledge for a salary or mundane compensation.
- Not an Enjoyer: He does not accept disciples to exploit them for personal facilities, but acts like a caring parent for their spiritual upliftment.
- Not a Showbottle: A spiritual master is not a decorative ornament or a status symbol, but a serious representative of the Absolute Truth.
- Not Dependent on Caste: The qualification of a guru is his knowledge of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, not necessarily his birth in a brāhmaṇa family.
- Explore the synthesized essence of this category in this Vanipedia article: What A Spiritual Master Is Not.
Pages in category "A Spiritual Master Is Not"
The following 17 pages are in this category, out of 17 total.
A
- A spiritual master is not a kind of decoration for a householder
- All sastric injunctions, as well as the versions of great sages and authorities, establish that a bona fide spiritual master is not necessarily a brahmana. The only qualification is that he be conversant with the science of Krsna, Krsna consciousness
- An outsider has no right to put any question because he is not surrendered. And a spiritual master is not obliged to answer anyone except to his disciple. This is the Vedic way
S
- So teacher or the spiritual master is not inventing something. The same old thing
- Sometimes doubts arise in the minds of neophytes about whether or not the spiritual master is liberated, and sometimes neophytes are doubtful about the bodily affairs of the spiritual master
- Spiritual master is not a show bottle
- Sukadeva Gosvami is praying from the Lord by dint of being inspired from within by the Lord so that he could rightly explain the facts and figures of creation as inquired by Maharaja Pariksit. A spiritual master is not a theoretical speculator
T
- The Lord was specifically instructing how a brahmacari should behave under the care of a spiritual master. A spiritual master is not an enjoyer of facilities offered by his disciples. He is like a parent
- The qualification, then, of a spiritual master is not to be a qualified brahmana, but to be well versed in the science of Krsna
- The schoolmasters in the modern days are paid agents for giving some information, but the spiritual master is not a paid agent. Nor can he impart instruction without being authorized
- The spiritual master is not actually happy if the disciple brings him money, but when he sees that a disciple is following the regulative principles and advancing in spiritual life, he is very glad and feels obliged to such an advanced disciple
- The spiritual master is not inclined to disclose all the secrets of transcendental science unless the disciple is very submissive and devoted
- To serve his servants may please him more than to serve the king personally. So the Spiritual Master is not alone. He is always with His entourage. We are not impersonalists
- To understand Vedic literature means one must have firm faith in Krsna and firm faith in guru. Not that "My guru is not so learned, so let me capture Krsna directly." That is useless