We should always think that we are in the modes of ignorance. We are just trying to make progress from ignorance to the goodness, and then transcend. This is the process of spiritual realization. Nobody should think that, "We are perfect." We cannot be. God is . . . only God is perfect, and we are all imperfect. Even our so-called liberated stage, we are still imperfect. Therefore one has to take shelter of authority because, constitutionally, we are imperfect.
Lord Caitanya says, āmā-sabā jīvera haya śāstra-dvārā 'jñāna. So therefore, for real knowledge, we have to consult the scriptures, śāstra. Sādhu-śāstra-guru. Sādhu means pious, religious, honest person. Sādhu. Whose character is spotless, he's called sādhu. Śāstra means scripture, and guru, guru means spiritual master.
They are on the equal level. Why? Because the medium is scripture. Guru is considered to be liberated because he follows the scripture. Sādhu is considered to be honest and saintly because he follows scripture. Sādhu-śāstra-guru-vākya. Nobody can become a sādhu if he does not accept the principles of scripture. Nobody can be accepted as guru, or spiritual master, if he does not follow the principles of scripture. This is the test.
- tad-vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum eva abhigacchet
- samit-pāṇiḥ śrotriyaṁ brahma-niṣṭham
- (Muṇḍaka Upaniṣad 1.2.12)
Śrotriyam, śrotriyam means one who has accepted the Vedic literature, the śāstra, scripture, as the guidance. He can be . . . not a extravagant upstart, he makes some group and religious principle of his own and become a guru. No, he's not guru . . .
So Lord Caitanya advises . . . Sanātana Gosvāmī's enquiry is how to know that he . . . here is a avatāra. So Caitanya Mahāprabhu says the medium is śāstra and direction is the guru. Śāstra . . . also, we cannot understand any book, what to speak of the scripture. Sometimes we find contradiction in the scripture. That is not contradiction; that is my poor fund of knowledge. I cannot understand; therefore assistance of guru, a spiritual master, is required.
So, so far incarnation is concerned, here Lord Caitanya says that we have to see through the śāstra whether a person is incarnation or not. We should not blindly accept anybody as incarnation, because there are, nowadays, numberless incarnations.
- avatāra nāhi kahe-'āmi avatāra'
- muni saba jāni' kare lakṣaṇa-vicāra
- (CC Madhya 20.354)
This is another significance of incarnation. Incarnation never says that, "I am incarnation of God." I have read one book about a big avatāra in India. He was canvassing his students, "Do you now accept me as incarnation? Do you now accept my . . . as incarnation?" And the . . . perhaps you know. (laughs) And the disciple was denying, "No." Then, at a time the disciple said: "Yes, I accept you." So this is not avatāra. Here Caitanya Mahāprabhu says avatāra does not canvass that (chuckles) "I am . . ." Guru does not canvass. Sādhu does not canvass. He automatically, by his quality, he becomes accepted. Yes.