Internal guru

Expressions researched:
"internal guru"

Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures

Kṛṣṇa is ready to help you, help us, every one of us, in two ways: by the external guru and internal guru. Internal guru, He is Kṛṣṇa Himself, and external guru, His manifestation, the spiritual master. So we should take advantage of two gurus and make our life successful.

Lecture on BG 13.3 -- Bombay, September 26, 1973:

So Kṛṣṇa is advising that "I am in everyone's heart." You can take advice from Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa is ready. Kṛṣṇa's another name is caitya-guru. Caitya-guru means the guru who is situated within your heart. Kṛṣṇa comes out as instructor guru or initiator guru outside, and he is sitting within the heart as caitya-guru. Kṛṣṇa is ready to help you, help us, every one of us, in two ways: by the external guru and internal guru. Internal guru, He is Kṛṣṇa Himself, and external guru, His manifestation, the spiritual master. So we should take advantage of two gurus and make our life successful. This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. Thank you very much. Hare Kṛṣṇa.

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

So guru is representative, external representative. Internal guru is Kṛṣṇa Himself.

Lecture on SB 3.25.4 -- Bombay, November 4, 1974:

Simply going and asking the spiritual master or guru, and not to accept his instructions, then don't waste your time. Don't waste your time. In a challenging spirit, if you go to a spiritual master, without any service, sevayā, and praṇipātena... Praṇipātena... Prakṛṣṭa-rūpeṇa nipāta. Nipāta means fall down, and pra means prakṛṣṭa-rūpa, sufficiently. No reservation. This knowledge, the transcendental knowledge, is based on this praṇipāta. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja: (BG 18.66) "You just surrender unto Me." And similarly we have to surrender to Kṛṣṇa or His representative.

So guru is representative, external representative. Internal guru is Kṛṣṇa Himself. Īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe arjuna tiṣṭhati (BG 18.61). Not that Īśvara, Kṛṣṇa, is in Vaikuṇṭha or Goloka Vṛndāvana. He is everywhere, even within the atom. Goloka eva nivasaty akhilātma-bhūtaḥ (Bs. 5.37). That is Paramātmā. Ātmā is... I am ātmā, you are ātmā. We are all situated locally. You are situated within your body, I am situated within my body. But Paramātmā is situated everywhere. That is the difference between ātmā and Paramātmā. Ātmā and Paramātmā... Those who are mistaking that "There is no difference between ātmā and Paramātmā," no, there is difference. They are one in one sense, that both of them-cognizant.

1968 Correspondence

The internal Guru is Krishna Himself seated in everyone's heart, and the external Guru is the Spiritual Master. So a sincere devotee is helped both externally and internally. To the sincere devotee the internal Guru Krishna dictates, but the thing has to be conformed by the external Guru then it is all right.

Letter to Kancanbala -- Los Angeles 14 January, 1968:

My sincere blessings are for you for your nice prosecution of Krishna Consciousness. Whatever you are doing at the present moment is approved by me and I think on account of your becoming a sincere soul, Krishna is dictating from within and you are doing things so nicely. There are two gurus—one internal and the other external. The internal Guru is Krishna Himself seated in everyone's heart, and the external Guru is the Spiritual Master. So a sincere devotee is helped both externally and internally. To the sincere devotee the internal Guru Krishna dictates, but the thing has to be conformed by the external Guru then it is all right. I am very glad that you don't go out, and keep indoors engaging yourself in Krishna Consciousness activities.