Category:Accepting a Guru
Theme Analysis
The acceptance of a spiritual master is not merely a formality but the essential foundation of spiritual life. The analysis of this category confirms that without accepting a bona fide guru in the disciplic succession (paramparā), advancement in transcendental knowledge is impossible. This principle is so vital that even the Supreme Lord, appearing as Kṛṣṇa and Caitanya Mahāprabhu, accepted a guru to set the example for humanity. The process begins with the inquisitive desire to know the Absolute Truth and culminates in full surrender to the instructions of the teacher.
- The Fundamental Step: The very first step in spiritual life, as directed by Rūpa Gosvāmī, is ādau gurv-āśrayaṁ—taking shelter of a bona fide guru.
- Divine Example: To teach the necessity of this process, Kṛṣṇa accepted Sāndīpani Muni and Caitanya Mahāprabhu accepted Īśvara Purī, despite being God themselves.
- The Source of Knowledge: One cannot understand the Absolute Truth alone; one must approach a guru who has seen the truth (tattva-darśī) and hear from them submissively.
- Disciplic Succession: A guru is not self-made but must be accepted from the authorized chain of succession; otherwise, the knowledge received is bogus.
- Explore the synthesized essence of this category in this Vanipedia article: Accepting a Guru - The First Step.
- Explore the synthesized essence of this category in this Vanipedia article: Accepting a Guru Is Not a Fashion.
Subcategories
This category has the following 3 subcategories, out of 3 total.
Pages in category "Accepting a Guru"
The following 76 pages are in this category, out of 76 total.
2
A
- Aditi accepted her husband as her guru, so that he would direct her how to advance in spiritual consciousness, devotional service, by worshiping the Supreme Lord
- As King Prthu has illustrated, one who is serious about receiving transcendental Vedic knowledge must accept a guru, or spiritual master, in one of these four disciplic successions
B
- By Sanatana Gosvami it is directed that the spiritual master and the disciple must meet together at least for one year so that the disciple may also understand that, - Here is a person whom I can accept as my guru
- By that only qualification, that he's not a Vaisnava, he cannot become guru, whereas, on the other's hand. If a person, sva-pacah means coming of the family of dog-eaters, candala - if he has become a Vaisnava, you can accept him as guru
F
- First beginning of Vaisnava life is to accept guru, spiritual master, then other things. Because who will teach you?
- First thing is, first business, is to accept a bona fide guru. Otherwise there is no devotion. It is simply false imitation. This is the injunction of Rupa Gosvami in Bhakti-rasamrta sindhu
G
- Guru does not accept, although he is worshiped like Krsna, he never accepts that "I am Krsna." That is our parampara system. Sisya has to accept guru as Krsna, but guru will never accept that he is Krsna. This is our relationship
- Guru is Arjuna. Because a confidential instruction is given to Arjuna, so we accept Arjuna as guru. Or one who is following Arjuna, he is guru
- Guru means, accept guru means, "Whatever you say, I will accept." That is guru. Otherwise friendly talk. Friendly talk will not do. To accept guru means "Now I accept you, guru, my instructor, without any argument," and that is acceptance
I
- I accept a guru, but in my mind I remain independent, "Oh, why shall I abide by the orders of guru?" That means there is no surrender. There is no surrender. It is false. It is just to satisfy some motive, but that will not help
- If I accept some guru, but if later on it appears that he did not know what is to be done, what is to be not to be done, then Srila Jiva Gosvami says that such guru: parityago vidhiyate. Such guru should be rejected
- If they are eager to accept a guru, they accept a false guru, and they are materially disturbed. This is the position of the people of this age. So against so many disturbances and counter-facts, we have to preach
- If you are actually interested sreya uttamam, the highest perfection of life - tasmad gurum prapadyeta - then you have to accept a guru. This is called acaryopasanam
- If you are inquisitive to understand transcendental truth, the Absolute Truth, the guru is... To have a guru is not a fashion. Now it has become a fashion. If somebody shows some jugglery, people become very much anxious to accept such guru. No
- If you find out somebody where you can fully surrender, then accept guru. Don't make guru a fashion. People generally do that, "Everyone has a guru. Let me collect. Let me pick up some guru who will be dancing dog." That kind of guru will not help you
- If you receive your guru, give him very nice place he can sit comfortably, and he's pleased with your behavior, then he can speak very frankly and very freely, which will be very much beneficial for you
- If you think that you know better than Krsna or Krsna's representative, the guru, there is no necessity of accepting guru. Do not keep a guru as a pet dog
- In Caitanya-caritamrta it is said that the guru is the manifestation of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Therefore, according to all the evidence given by the sastra and by the practical behavior of devotees, one must accept a guru
- In India there is a system of jata-guru, the guru by caste. By familywise, they become guru. One family is attached to another guru family by hereditary rules, the sons after sons accepting guru, the other party, and there is regular business
K
- Krsna is jagad-guru, and one who teaches the instruction of Krsna as it is, on behalf of Krsna, may be accepted as jagad-guru
- Krsna is showing example, where we should offer our surrender and accept guru. Here is Krsna. So you have to accept Krsna or His representative as guru. Then your problems will be solved. Otherwise it is not possible
O
- O demigods, I instruct you to approach Visvarupa, the son of Tvasta, and accept him as your guru. He is a pure and very powerful brahmana undergoing austerity and penances
- Of course, it has become a fashion to accept a guru in this way, but this will not help anyone. As soon as Krsna became Arjuna's guru, Krsna immediately chastised him
- Of course, it is not possible to take the shelter of Krsna directly. That is not possible. May be possible by Krsna's special mercy, but general process is you have to go through the mercy or process of accepting a guru
- One does not require to accept a guru unless he is inquisitive to understand the ultimate goal or benefit of life
- One must approach a particular type of guru to execute a particular type of duty. Therefore although Visvarupa was inferior to the demigods, the demigods accepted him as their guru to conquer the demons
- One who is inquisitive to know about the prime benefit of life, for him there is need of accepting a guru
- Our Vedic process of knowledge is, one has to accept a guru, a spiritual master, who has received knowledge from another perfect spiritual master
S
- Sisya has to accept guru as Krsna
- So actual guru is Krsna. And here is. Krsna is advising the Bhagavad-gita. These rascals and fools will not accept Krsna as guru. They'll go to some rascal and fool and miscreants, sinful person, and accept guru
- So in our this Vedic way of life, to accept guru is essential. Even big, big acarya . . . even Krsna, He accepted guru, Sandipani Muni. Lord Caitanya accepted guru, Isvara Puri
- So tattva-darsi, one who has seen the truth, you have to accept him as guru. Tattva-darsi. Darsi means who has practical experience
- Sometimes a foolish person accepts someone as a guru because he can manufacture a small quantity of gold by mystic yogic power. Such a disciple has a poor fund of knowledge, he cannot judge whether the manufacture of gold is the criterion for a guru
- Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu (instructed): yare dekha, tare kaha 'krsna'-upadesa (CC Madhya 7.128). In other words, one is advised not to accept a guru who does not follow the path of instruction given by Lord Krsna
- Surrender means that one will accept whatever the guru says. It is not that one thinks, "I do not care for my guru's order. Still I am a disciple." That is not actually accepting a guru
T
- The answer (men ask whether one has to approach a guru to be instructed in devotional service for spiritual advancement) is given here (in SB 8.16.23) - indeed, not only here, but also in Bhagavad-gita, where Arjuna accepted Krsna as his guru - BG 2.7
- The conditioned soul, being wrapped in ignorance and therefore not knowing the goal of life, accepts a guru who can juggle words and make some display of magic that is wonderful to a fool
- The first process is, first step is adau gurvasrayam to accept guru. - Accept guru Guru means Krsna's representative
- The foolish rascals, they do not know, "How you can become guru?" If he does not follow the sastra or the supreme authority, Krsna, how he can become? But they accept, guru
- The materialistic persons, they are after blessing for some material benefit. They are not after Krsna. That is another offense. Therefore to go to guru or to accept a guru, there should not be any material purpose
- The process is before accepting a guru, one must hear him at least for one year
- The process is, as recommended by Srila Rupa Gosvami, adau gurvasrayam. You must select, you must accept the guru who's coming in parampara system
- 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 system is: the disciple falls flat before the spiritual master. That is the etiquette, pranipatena. And if you think that you know better than Krsna or Krsna's representative, the guru, there is no necessity of accepting guru
- The Vedas also instruct, tad-vijnanartham sa gurum evabhigacchet: (MU 1.2.12) one must accept a guru for proper direction if one is seriously inclined toward advancement in spiritual life
- Their (the initiating and instructing spiritual masters') function is to guide the conditioned souls back home, back to Godhead. Therefore Krsnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami accepted Nityananda Prabhu and the six Gosvamis in the category of guru
- There are two, not alone. So you cannot alone think of tat knowledge. You have to surrender to somebody. That is the process
- There is sreya, ultimate benefit of life, beyond this material world. So one who is interested the sreya, or ultimate benefit of life beyond this material world, for him there is need of accepting a guru
- To accept guru means to inquire from him about the Absolute Truth
- To accept guru, there is also service. And to give service to an inferior person who is suffering, that is also service. The one service is called daya, and the other service is called seva
- To accept this Krsna consciousness movement means first of all to accept guru. Adau gurvasrayam. Sad-dharma-prcchat. Then inquiry from guru
- To enter into the spiritual life, first thing is first of all to accept a guru
- To receive Vedic knowledge, we must approach the proper guru. The guru's qualification is given in every sastra. In Srimad-Bhagavatam (11.3.21) it is said: One should not accept a guru unless one is inquisitive to know the ultimate goal of life
W
- We cannot accept any rascal to become guru. Guru must be in the parampara system. He is receiving the knowledge directly from God, Krsna
- We have to accept a guru from the disciplic succession which is called parampara, guru-parampara. Then we can understand what is Krsna. Otherwise not. Now so many people are explaining Bhagavad-gita
- We should receive knowledge by the bona fide, parampara system. Otherwise it may be bogus. Because without parampara system, we cannot understand actual fact. And we have to become in the disciplic succession. We must accept a guru
- We sing in the Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura's prayer, saksad-dharitvena samasta-sastraih: "In every sastra, guru is accepted as directly Krsna." Saksat means directly
- We sometimes accept one guru. But why should we accept guru? What is the necessity of accepting guru? This is the necessity for tattva-jijnasa, for inquiring about the Absolute Truth
- When guru speaks, you cannot argue. That is not the process. You should accept a guru who is infallible. Otherwise it is useless. He accepted guru Krsna because Krsna is infallible
- When he's convinced that, "Here is actually a guru who can teach me," then you accept him, guru. Don't accept him whimsically
- Whoever can teach one about the science of Krsna is to be accepted as guru
Y
- You cannot learn to become a perfect human being without accepting guru. Then you remain a rascal. Tad-vijnanartham sa gurum evabhigacchet. That is the Vedic injunction. If you want to learn that transcendental science, you must approach a guru
- You have to accept a guru, so why go to a pseudo guru, who will mislead you? Why not take instructions from a real guru