- tasmād guruṁ prapadyeta
- jijñāsuḥ śreya uttamam
- śābde pare ca niṣṇātaṁ
- brahmaṇy upaśamāśrayam
Realized the conclusion of the scriptures
Srimad-Bhagavatam
SB Canto 4
The qualification of a spiritual master is that he must have realized the conclusion of the scriptures by deliberation and arguments and thus be able to convince others of these conclusions.
SB 4.29.55, Purport: The symptoms of the bona fide spiritual master are stated in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (11.3.21):
SB Canto 5
The qualification of his spiritual master is that he must have realized the conclusion of the scriptures by deliberation and be able to convince others of these conclusions.
SB 5.14.41, Purport: Similarly in Bhagavad-gītā (4.34) the Supreme Personality of Godhead advises:
- tad viddhi praṇipātena
- paripraśnena sevayā
- upadekṣyanti te jñānaṁ
- jñāninas tattva-darśinaḥ
"Just try to learn the truth by approaching a spiritual master. Inquire from him submissively and render service unto him. The self-realized soul can impart knowledge unto you because he has seen the truth." Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (11.3.21) gives similar advice:
- tasmād guruṁ prapadyeta
- jijñāsuḥ śreya uttamam
- śābde pare ca niṣṇātaṁ
- brahmaṇy upaśamāśrayam
Other Books by Srila Prabhupada
Nectar of Devotion
The qualification of a spiritual master is that he must have realized the conclusion of the scriptures by deliberation and arguments and thus be able to convince others of these conclusions.
Nectar of Devotion 7: In the Eleventh Canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Third Chapter, verse 21, Prabuddha tells Mahārāja Nimi, "My dear King, please know for certain that in the material world there is no happiness. It is simply a mistake to think that there is happiness here, because this place is full of nothing but miserable conditions. Any person who is seriously desirous of achieving real happiness must seek out a bona fide spiritual master and take shelter of him by initiation. The qualification of a spiritual master is that he must have realized the conclusion of the scriptures by deliberation and arguments and thus be able to convince others of these conclusions. Such great personalities who have taken shelter of the Supreme Godhead, leaving aside all material considerations, are to be understood as bona fide spiritual masters. Everyone should try to find such a bona fide spiritual master in order to fulfill his mission of life, which is to transfer himself to the plane of spiritual bliss."
The purport is that one should not accept as a spiritual master someone who is fool number one, who has no direction according to the scriptural injunctions, whose character is doubtful, who does not follow the principles of devotional service, or who has not conquered the influence of the six sense-gratifying agents.
Page Title: | Realized the conclusion of the scriptures |
Compiler: | Laksmipriya |
Created: | 16 of Dec, 2008 |
Totals by Section: | BG=0, SB=2, CC=0, OB=1, Lec=0, Con=0, Let=0 |
No. of Quotes: | 3 |