Category:Accepting Spiritual Master As God
Theme Analysis
In the teachings of Srila Prabhupada, the principle of accepting the spiritual master as God is a foundational directive found in all Vedic scriptures. This concept, often misunderstood, does not imply that the spiritual master becomes the Supreme Personality of Godhead in identity. Rather, it establishes that the guru is the most confidential servant of the Lord and His external manifestation. Therefore, the disciple must offer the same respect to the spiritual master as is offered to God, acknowledging him as the transparent via medium through whom knowledge and mercy descend.
- The Scriptural Verdict: Srila Prabhupada emphasizes that all revealed scriptures, or sastras, unanimously declare that the guru must be accepted as the Supreme Lord. This is summarized in the phrase saksad-dharitvena, meaning the guru is directly accepted as Hari (God).
- Confidential Servitorship: The reason for this worship is the guru's position as the most dear servant of Krsna (kintu prabhor yah priya eva tasya). He is the bona fide representative who delivers the message of Godhead without any adulteration.
- External Manifestation: The spiritual master is described as the external manifestation of the Supreme Lord, appearing before the conditioned soul to guide them back to the spiritual world.
- Rejection of Mayavada Philosophy: A crucial distinction is made regarding the impersonalists who falsely think that becoming a guru means becoming God. Srila Prabhupada warns that a guru claiming to be God is rebellious and must be rejected; the true Vaisnava guru always remains a humble servant.
- Explore the synthesized essence of this category in this Vanipedia article: Accepting Spiritual Master as God According to Śāstra.
Pages in category "Accepting Spiritual Master As God"
The following 17 pages are in this category, out of 17 total.
A
- A guru should be accepted as God. That is the injunction of all sastras
- Acaryam mam vijaniyan: the Supreme Personality of Godhead says that one should respect the spiritual master, accepting him as the Lord Himself. Navamanyeta karhicit: one should not disrespect the acarya at any time
- As stated by Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura in Gurv-astaka, saksad-dharitvena: One directly accepts the guru, the spiritual master, as the Supreme Personality of Godhead
F
- Figuratively, King Malayadhvaja is the spiritual master, and his wife, Vaidarbhi, is the disciple. The disciple accepts the spiritual master as the Supreme Personality of Godhead
- Following in the footsteps of Sri Narada Muni, one should not blindly accept his spiritual master as God Himself. A spiritual master is duly respected on a par with God, but a spiritual master claiming to be God Himself should at once be rejected
I
- I offer my respectful obeisances unto the lotus feet of such a spiritual master, who is a bona fide representative of Lord Krsna. - The guru should be accepted as God. That is the injunction of all sastra
- In all the sastras, the guru is respected as Krsna is respected. Saksad-dharitvena. Haritva. Hari means Lord. Samasta-sa . . . in all the scriptures, guru is accepted as Krsna
S
T
- The Mayavadis cannot understand this. They think, "Because the spiritual master has to be accepted as God and because I have become a spiritual master, I have become God." This is rebellious
- The spiritual master is accepted as identical with the SP of Godhead because he is the most confidential servant of the Lord (kintu prabhor yah priya eva tasya). The purport is that both the Supersoul and the individual soul are very dear to everyone
- The spiritual master should be considered to be directly the Supreme Lord because he gives transcendental knowledge for enlightenment
- This (in all the scriptures the spiritual master is considered to be as good as God) does not mean, however, that the Vaisnava thinks himself God, for this is blasphemous
- This is the qualification of spiritual master, that he delivers things at it is. He does not make any adulteration. Then he is real representative, and he is to be accepted as God Himself. That is the process