Instructions of the acaryas

Expressions researched:
"instruction of the acaryas" |"instructions of the acarya" |"instruction of the acarya" |"instructions of the acaryas" |"instruction of acaryas" |"instruction of acarya" |"instructions should be taken from the acarya" |"Gosvamis, for they are acaryas"

SB Canto 3

One should hear from authentic sources how to advance in spiritual life; such instructions should be taken from the ācārya and should be assimilated

SB 3.29.18, Purport: There are eighteen qualifications mentioned in Bhagavad-gita, among which is simplicity. One should be without pride; one should not demand unnecessary respect from others, and one should be nonviolent. Amanitvam adambhitvam ahimsa [Bg. 13.8]. One should be very tolerant and simple, one should accept the spiritual master, and one should control the senses. These are mentioned here and in Bhagavad-gita as well. One should hear from authentic sources how to advance in spiritual life; such instructions should be taken from the acarya and should be assimilated.

SB Canto 4

It is essential, therefore, to follow the instructions of the ācāryas in the paramparā system, who have received the knowledge as passed down from spiritual master to disciple

SB 4.20.15, Purport: There is a specific purpose in mentioning herein that one should follow the dvijagryas, the most prominent brahmanas, like Parasara and Manu. These great sages have already given us instructions on how to live according to the principles of varnasrama-dharma. Similarly, Sanatana Gosvami and Rupa Gosvami have given us rules and regulations for becoming pure devotees of the Lord. It is essential, therefore, to follow the instructions of the acaryas in the parampara system, who have received the knowledge as passed down from spiritual master to disciple. In this way, although living in our material condition of life, we can get out of the entanglement of material contamination without leaving our positions. Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu advises, therefore, that one does not have to change his position.

SB Canto 7

Indeed, by following the instructions of the ācāryas one is always freed from all material contamination, and thus one's life becomes successful, for one reaches the goal of life

SB 7.9.18, Purport: Then God realization and self-realization become extremely easy. By following this easy method, one is liberated from the contamination of the material modes of nature, and thus one can certainly cross the ocean of nescience, in which there are many miserable conditions. By following in the footsteps of the great acaryas, one associates with the hamsas or paramahamsas, those who are completely freed from material contamination. Indeed, by following the instructions of the acaryas one is always freed from all material contamination, and thus one's life becomes successful, for one reaches the goal of life. This material world is miserable, regardless of one's standard of life. Of this there is no doubt. Attempts to mitigate the miseries of material existence by material methods will never be successful. One must take to Krsna consciousness to become really happy; otherwise happiness is impossible. One might say that becoming advanced in spiritual life also involves tapasya, voluntary acceptance of some inconvenience. However, such inconvenience is not as dangerous as material attempts to mitigate all miseries.

CC Adi-lila

Anyone who attempts to serve Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu sincerely by following in His footsteps and following the instructions of the ācāryas will successfully be able to preach the holy names of the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra all over the universe

CC Adi 7.163, Translation and Purport: Sri Krsna Caitanya Mahaprabhu and His associates of the Panca-tattva distributed the holy name of the Lord to invoke love of Godhead throughout the universe, and thus the entire universe was thankful. Here it is said that Lord Caitanya made the entire universe thankful to Him for propagating the sankirtana movement with His associates. Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu has already sanctified the entire universe by His presence five hundred years ago, and therefore anyone who attempts to serve Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu sincerely by following in His footsteps and following the instructions of the acaryas will successfully be able to preach the holy names of the Hare Krsna maha-mantra all over the universe.

The members of this Society must always remember that if they stick to the regulative principles and preach sincerely according to the instructions of the ācāryas, surely they will have the profound blessings of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu

CC Adi 7.171, Purport: Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu wanted to preach the sankirtana movement of love of Krsna throughout the entire world, and therefore during His presence He inspired the sankirtana movement. Specifically, He sent Rupa Gosvami and Sanatana Gosvami to Vrndavana and Nityananda to Bengal and personally went to South India. In this way He kindly left the task of preaching His cult in the rest of the world to the International Society for Krishna Consciousness. The members of this Society must always remember that if they stick to the regulative principles and preach sincerely according to the instructions of the acaryas, surely they will have the profound blessings of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu, and their preaching work will be successful everywhere throughout the world.

One should not try to supersede the instructions of the six Gosvāmīs, for they are ācāryas and very dear to Lord Caitanya

CC Adi 8.32, Translation and Purport: Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, the independent Supreme Personality of Godhead, is greatly magnanimous. Unless one worships Him, one can never be liberated. Sri Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura here remarks that one should not give up the worship of Radha-Krsna to worship Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. By worshiping either Radha-Krsna or Lord Caitanya alone, one cannot become advanced. One should not try to supersede the instructions of the six Gosvamis, for they are acaryas and very dear to Lord Caitanya. Therefore Narottama dasa Thakura sings:

CC Madhya-lila

Intelligent people who follow Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s instructions and the instructions of the ācārya, the bona fide spiritual master, will not accept a pretender as an incarnation of God

CC Madhya 20.352, Purport: If a spiritual master does not speak according to the revealed scripture, he is not to be accepted. Similarly, if a saintly person does not speak according to the sastra, he is not a saintly person. The sastra is the center for all. Unfortunately, at the present moment, people do not refer to the sastras; therefore they accept rascals as incarnations, and consequently they have made incarnations into a very cheap thing. Intelligent people who follow Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu's instructions and the instructions of the acarya, the bona fide spiritual master, will not accept a pretender as an incarnation of God. In Kali-yuga, the only incarnation is Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

If you follow the instruction of ācārya, then you understand perfectly everything

Lecture on SB 3.26.32 -- Bombay, January 9, 1975: So this worship is going on under this parampara system. It is not manufactured. Acaryam mam... What the acarya says, if you follow, then you become perfect. Tad viddhi pranipatena pariprasnena sevaya [Bg. 4.34]. If you follow the instruction of acarya, then you understand perfectly everything. Tad viddhi prani... But you have to understand by pranipatena, by submission, not by challenging. If you challenge, then you will never be able to understand. This whole process is submission. Sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja [Bg. 18.66]. If you are not prepared to submit, then you will never understand. You will remain in this tamas, tamas. Tamasi ma. But don't remain in tamas. Come to the light.

You, even before your enemies, you'll disclose everything. Such truthful. That is the instruction of ācāryas

Lecture on SB 6.1.13-14 -- New York, July 27, 1971: These are the qualities of brahmana. Satyam samo damas titiksa arjavam astikyam jnanam vijnanam brahma-karma svabhava-jam. Those who are brahmanas, they must be qualified with all these symptoms. Satyam. This satyam, truthful. How truthful? You, even before your enemies, you'll disclose everything. Such truthful. That is the instruction of acaryas. We don't want to disclose everything, hide. But truthfulness means even to a enemy you should be truthful. Satyam samam. This samam, controlling the mind. Damam, controlling the senses. Satyam samo damah saucam, cleanliness. Arjavam, simply sitting, no duplicity, simply sitting. Arjavam astikyam. Faith in Vedas, that is called astikyam.

So this dictation of Kṛṣṇa comes through the disciplic success, and if we follow the instruction of ācārya, or spiritual master, then we are directly following the orders of Kṛṣṇa

Lecture on SB 6.2.1-5 -- Calcutta, January 6, 1971: So this dictation of Krsna comes through the disciplic success, and if we follow the instruction of acarya, or spiritual master, then we are directly following the orders of Krsna, and thus I become a bhagavad-duta. No more I am the duta or the follower of the dictation of my senses. And one who is bhagavad-duta, he is called gosvami, just like Rupa Gosvami, Sanatana Gosvami. Whose life is dedicated to follow the dictation of Krsna, they are gosvami. Gosvami is not a caste title, just like it has become in India. Gosvami... Rupa Gosvami was a minister.

Nectar of Devotion Lectures

So we must follow the path of mahājana, the instruction of the ācārya. Then we can become purified

The Nectar of Devotion -- Vrndavana, November 1, 1972: So this is the sutra given by Narada. Tat tenaiva vinirdiset [SB 7.11.35]. So we must follow the path of mahajana, the instruction of the acarya. Then we can become purified. And unless we are purified, there is no question of pure devotional service. Sa bhaktah prakrtah smrta. If one does not want to become advanced, if one does not want to become purified, then he remains a prakrta-bhakta. Prakrta-bhakta means executing devotional service under the instruction of spiritual master and the regulative principles of sastra, but he's still on the platform of material understanding. That is called prakrta-bhakta. A prakrta-bhakta cannot understand how another bhakta is transcendental.

Festival Lectures

There is no question of becoming astonished, how transmigration of the self, soul, takes place. The vivid example is there. Simply you require little intelligence. That intelligence is developed through the instruction of ācārya

Festival Lectures, London, September 3, 1971: What is the difficulty? Tatha dehantara-praptir dhiras tatra na muhyati [Bg. 2.13]. There is no question of becoming astonished, how transmigration of the self, soul, takes place. The vivid example is there. Simply you require little intelligence. That intelligence is developed through the instruction of acarya. Therefore, Vedic injunction is not to acquire knowledge by speculation. That is useless. Athapi te deva padambuja-dvayam janati tattvam prasada-lesanugrhita eva hi, na canya eko 'pi ciram vicinvan [SB 10.14.29]. Ciram vicinvan. Ciram means for thousands of years you can speculate; you cannot understand what is God. That is not possible. But if you receive knowledge from the devotee, he can deliver you.

General Lectures

One should follow the instruction of the ācārya. That is our Vedic civilization

Lecture at World Health Organization -- Geneva, June 6, 1974:: Whole Indian spiritual culture is dependent on the guidance of these acarya. And in the Bhagavad-gita also, in the Thirteenth Chapter, it is advised, acarya upasanam: "One should follow the instruction of the acarya." That is our Vedic civilization. And in the Bhagavad-gita, also, it is said in the fourth chapter, evam parampara-praptam imam rajarsayo viduh [Bg. 4.2]. The science of God... Imam vivasvate yogam proktavan aham avyayam [Bg. 4.1]. This is a yoga system, this Bhagavad-gita.

1973 Conversations and Morning Walks

We should offer respect to such person exactly like God. That is our instruction of the ācāryas

Room Conversation with Two Buddhist Monks -- July 12, 1973, London: Prabhupada: No, how he could claim? He's a devotee of God, he's servant of God. How he can claim? Of course, there is no difference between God and His servant. Yes. That we say. Saksad-dharitvena samasta-sastrair uktas tatha bhavyata... **. Because a devotee, like Lord Jesus Christ, means confidential servant of God, there is no difference between God and himself. Just like any political representative or business representative, he's, if he's a confidential representative, there is no difference between the king or the proprietor of the firm, so long he represents rightly. Similarly, anyone who represents God or the cause of God, he's not different from God. We should offer respect to such person exactly like God. That is our instruction of the acaryas. Saksad-dharitvena samasta-sastrair uktah **. In every sastra the spiritual master is recognized as personally the Supreme Lord. But in... Why he is recognized? Kintu prabhor yah priya eva tasya. Because he's the most dear servant of the Lord. And that is natural.

1976 Conversations and Morning Walks

So we have to give up the instruction of ācārya and accept some rascal? That we cannot do

Evening Darsana -- December 3, 1976, Hyderabad: Prabhupada: Paramahamsa may speak all nonsense, but Krsna is accepted by all the acaryas, Madhvacarya, Ramanujacarya, Nimbarka, Caitanya. They are important men. Evam parampara praptam imam rajarsayo viduh [Bg. 4.2]. So we have to give up the instruction of acarya and accept some rascal? That we cannot do. Acaryopasanam. In Bhagavad-gita it is recommended that you should worship the acarya, not these rascals who talks all nonsense. Then he'll make progress. Acaryopasanam. Is it not? Acaryopasanam is there. And still in India the acarya's parampara system existing, sampradaya. Ramanuja sampradaya, Madhvacarya sampradaya, Nimbarka, going on.