Hare Krsna to all

Pranams

All glories to Srila Prabhupada

Every Hare Krsna devotee is aware of the guru tattva debate now going on,  in and outside of iskcon.

Here are some direct statements by Srila Prabhupada where HE explains, and  not us, what and who

is actually a liberated soul and therefore FIT for becoming a spiritual  master. I would like to think that

most reasonable devotees would accept that Srila Prabhupada is a liberated  soul and therefore himself

qualified to tell us all, who amongst us, if any, if also a liberated soul.  And if one is not a liberated soul, then

he is not qualified to liberate any others, what to speak of becoming a  spiritual master.

Hare Krsna

Damaghosa das

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770422r3.bom  Tamala Krsna: Well, I have studied myself and all  of your disciples, and it’s clear fact that we are all conditioned  souls, so we cannot be guru. Maybe one day it may be  possible… Prabhupada: Hm. Tamala Krsna: …but not  now. Prabhupada: Yes. I shall choose some guru. I shall say, “Now  you become acarya. You become authorized.” I am waiting  for that. You become all acarya. I retire  completely. But the training must  be complete.

SB 4.20.16  Lord Visnu was very pleased with Maharaja Prthu’s good  character and behavior and offered him a benediction. The Lord openly says  that performing great sacrifices or undergoing the austerities of  mystic yoga practice cannot satisfy Him. He is pleased only by  elevated character and behavior. But these cannot develop unless one becomes  a pure devotee of the Lord. Anyone who has developed  unalloyed, unflinching devotional service unto the Lord develops his  original good qualities as spirit soul. The spirit soul, as part and parcel  of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, has all the good qualities of  the Lord. When the spirit soul is contaminated by the material modes  of nature, one is considered good or bad with reference to the  material qualities. But when one is transcendental to all material  qualities, all the good qualities come out. These qualities of a  devotee, twenty-six in number, are listed as follows: (1) kind to everyone,  (2) does not quarrel with anyone, (this  one alone eliminates about 99.9% of all of us)

(3) fixed in the Absolute Truth, (4)equal to everyone, (5) faultless, (6)  charitable, (7) mild, (8) clean, (9) simple, (10) benevolent, (11) peaceful,  (12) completely attached to Krsna, (13) has no material hankering, (14) meek,  (15) steady, (16) self-controlled, (17) does not eat more than required, (18)  sane, (19) respectful, (20) humble, (21) grave, (22) compassionate,

(23)friendly, (24) poetic, (25) expert, (26) silent. The Lord is  satisfied by development of the transcendental qualities of the living  entity and not by artificial performance of sacrifices and mystic yoga.  In other words, unless one is fully qualified to become a pure devotee  of the Lord, one cannot expect to be liberated from  material entanglement.

740412BG.BOM    Knowledge should be taken from the perfect  person. Because if you take knowledge from a person who is defective, your  knowledge has no value. You must take knowledge from the perfect.

69-06-10.Mukunda– The answer to your Istagosthi questions are as follows: Unless one is a resident of Krishna Loka, one cannot be a Spiritual  Master. That is the first proposition. A layman cannot be a  Spiritual Master, and if he becomes so then he will simply create  disturbance. And who is a liberated person? One who  knows Krishna. It is stated in BG, fourth chapter, anyone who  knows Krishna in truth is immediately liberated, and after quitting the  present body, he immediately goes to Krishna. That means he becomes a  resident of Krishna Loka. As soon as one is liberated he is immediately a  resident of Krishna Loka, and anyone who knows the truth of Krishna can  become Spiritual Master. That is the version of Lord Caitanya. So to  summarize the whole thing, it is to be understood that a bonafide  Spiritual Master is a resident of Krishna Loka.    Your next  question, whether the Spiritual Master was formerly a conditioned soul,  actually a bonafide Spiritual Master is never a conditioned soul. There  are three kinds of liberated persons. They are called 1) sadhan siddha, 2)  kripa siddha, and 3) nitya siddha. Sadhan siddha means one who has attained  perfection by executing the regulative principles of devotional service.  Kripa siddha means one who has attained perfection by the special mercy of  Krishna and the

Spiritual Master, and nitya siddha means one who was never contaminated.  The symptoms of nitya siddha is that from the beginning of his life he is  attached to Krishna, and he is never tired of rendering service to Krishna.  So we have to know what is what by these symptoms. But when one is actually  on the siddha platform there is no such distinction as to who is sadhan,  kripa, or nitya siddha. When one is siddha, there is no distinction what is  what. Just like when the river water glides down to the Atlantic Ocean nobody  can distinguish which portion was the Hudson River or some other river.  Neither is there any necessity to make any such distinction. Actually,  every living entity is eternally uncontaminated, although he may be in  the material touch. This is the version of the Vedas. Asanga  ayam purusha–the living entity is uncontaminated. Just like when there  is a drop of oil in water you can immediately distinguish the oil from the  water, and the water never mixes with the oil. Similarly, a living entity,  although in material contact, is always distinct from  the matter.    You are correct when you say that when the  Spiritual Master speaks it should be taken that Krishna is speaking. That is  a fact. A Spiritual Master must be liberated. It does not matter if he has  come

from Krishna Loka or he is liberated from here. But he must  be liberated. The science of how one is liberated is explained above,  but when one is liberated, there is no need of distinction whether he  has come directly from Krishna Loka or from the material world. But in  the broader sense everyone comes from Krishna Loka. When one  forgets Krishna he is conditioned, when one remembers Krishna he is  liberated. I hope this will clear up these points. I hope this will meet you  in good health.

Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami

“UNLESS ONE IS UNDER  THE SHELTER OF A REALIZED SPIRITUAL MASTER, HIS UNDERSTANDING OF THE SUPREME IS  SIMPLY FOOLISHNESS.”   TLC.

When a devotee is  perfectly qualified in chanting the Transcendental vibration of the Holy Names,  he is quite fit to become  SM and deliver all the people of  the world. (TLC)

751009BG.DUR–Lectures– “The Supreme Personality…” Bhagavan means He does  not cheat you. Others, they  will give you instruction and cheat you, because anyone who is not liberated, he has got four defects of his life: he commits mistake, he is illusioned, he cheats  and his senses are imperfect. This is called conditioned soul, everyone..

Prabhupada: No, why? Krsna book  must be there, in the book must be there. Acyutananda: But  in public… Prabhupada: But you should go gradually. You  should go gradually. You first of all understand Krsna, then krsna-lila. If you  have not understood Krsna, then you’ll think Krsna’s rasa-lila is just like we  mix with young women. And that becomes as polluted. Because they do not  understand Krsna. Manusyanam sahasresu kascid yatati siddhaye yatatam api  siddhanam. Krsna understanding so easy? If you do not understand Krsna how  can you go to the Krsna’s confidential  activities? Acyutananda: Some of the devotees, they said  that it is for liberated souls. So they said, “Well, we are all liberated.” Prabhupada: Yes. Liberated for  going to hell . Devotee: In your Krsna book, Srila Prabhupada,  you’ve given such clear explanations along with the stories of Krsna that it’s  very difficult to misinterpret, because you use such clear  explanation. Prabhupada: No, you read all the books first of  all. Then you’ll be able to understand. [Srila Prabhupada Room Conversation,  August 16, 1976, Bombay]