Some qualificat​ions of a bona fide spiritual master

December 19, 2012 in Articles, Damaghosa Dasa

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Hare Krsna to all

Pranams

All glories to Srila Prabhupada

 

Because it is Kali yuga, the age of quarrel and  hypocrisy, it is very very easy for one

who desires spiritual life to become cheated. He or she  will be cheated by practically

everyone who poses as a spiritualist. This is not my  opinion, but the words of

Srila Prabhupada, the Acarya or Guru for the worldwide  Hare Krsna Movement.

 

He often would tell us that if  you don’t know what gold looks like and someone offers you

pyrite (imitation gold)  and wants to sell it to you, then because you don’t actually know  what

real gold is, you will be  cheated. Therefore it is incumbent upon every aspiring spiritualist, to

make him or herself familiar with  the terms of “real gold”. That very valuable information is to follow.

 

This article is a follow up to the previous one I just  sent out yesterday, entitled “The process of accepting a bona fide  guru”.

 

Hare Krsna

Damaghosa das

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A First class person wants to make his life spiritually  perfect.

A Second class person wants great riches by political or  business means

A Third class person wants riches by industry or  mercantile work

A Fourth class person wants only to fill the  belly.

 

Some Qualifications of bona fide guru

 

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

 

SOME OF THE QUALIFICATIONS OF A BONA FIDE SPIRITUAL  MASTER.

 

1)      Above the 4 defects-mistakes, illusion, imperfect senses,  cheating.

2)      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)

3)      The guru must be situated on the top most platform of devotional service.  There are 3 classes of devotees and the guru must be accepted from the top most  class. When one has attained the top most position of maha bhagavata, he is to  be accepted as a guru and worshipped exactly like Hari, the Personality of  Godhead. ONLY such a person is eligible to occupy the post of guru. CC  Mad24.330

4)      Since one cannot visually experience the presence of the supersoul, He  appears before us as a liberated devotee. Such a SM is none other that Krsna  Himself. CC Ant 5.171

5)      When a pure devotee speaks, he speaks perfectly. How is this? His speech  is managed by Krsna Himself within the heart.”

Read the rest of this entry →

The process of accepting a bona fide guru-SP

December 19, 2012 in Articles, Damaghosa Dasa

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Hare Krsna to all
Pranams
All glories to Srila Prabhupada
Below we have summarized a few lectures by Srila Prabhupada where he nicely  explains
who will find a real guru, and how to determine who is a real guru.
He says-
1. accept a guru who is infallible
2.If you dont get a qualified guru, then everything is bogus
3.if you dont find such a guru, that means Krsna is not pleased or your not  serious
4.guru must be accepted from highest order- paramahamsa
5.who has been cheated by bogus gurus? He says-“Practically everyone”
Hare Krsna
Damaghosa das
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761003SB.VRN                    Lectures                  … Sisyas te ‘ham sadhi mam prapannam: “Now, Krsna, I accept You as my  guru. Not as friend.” Because friendly talking is useless waste of time. He  accepted Him as guru. When guru speaks, you cannot argue. That is not the  process. You should accept a guru who is infallible. Otherwise it  is useless. He accepted guru Krsna because Krsna is infallible. If we accept guru, a bogus guru, then it is no benefit. Guru means  Krsna’s representative. Not that everyone can be  guru.  
720911rc.arl                 Conversations                Prabhupada:  Just like Dhruva Maharaja. He was advised by his mother  that “If you go to the forest you can see God.” So he went there. But when he  was very serious, then Krsna sent him Narada Muni. So if you are actually  serious about Krsna, then Krsna will send you some of His representative and  he will take charge of you. That is the process. If you do not  find a guru, that means Krsna is not yet pleased, either you are not  serious.
720629rc.sd                  Conversations                Devotee: What determines, Srila Prabhupada, if one is serious or  one is not serious? What makes one… Prabhupada: Well, this seriousness  comes after many, many births. It is also not so easy. Rupa Gosvami says,  tatra laulyam api mulyam ekalam janma-koti-sukrtair na labhyate. He wrote a  verse, krsna-bhakti-rasa-bhavita matih kriyatam yadi kuto ‘pi labhyate:  “The krsna-bhakti, Krsna consciousness, this thing, if you can  purchase somewhere, just immediately purchase it.”  Krsna-bhakti-rasa-bhavita matih kriyatam: “Just purchase.” Yadi kuto ‘pi  labhyate. First of all, if you want to purchase, the things must be  available. Yadi kuto. Therefore kuto ‘pi, “If it is available, immediately  purchase.” Then next question is, “What is the value? What is the price I  have to pay?” Then he said, tatra laulyam ekalam mulyam, “Simply your  serious eagerness to have it. That is the price.” “Oh, that I can have  very easily.” “No.” Janma-koti-sukrtair na labhyate: “That laulyam,  that seriousness, is not obtained after thousands of years’  pious activities.” It is so difficult. Janma-koti-sukrtair na  labhyate. People are acting piously, but that kind of seriousness is  not available even after executing pious activities for thousands  of lives. So that seriousness is also very difficult, to become  very serious that “In this life I shall finish my business and go  home, back to home, back to Godhead.” Bahunam janmanam ante jnanavan  mam prapadyate. Krsna says, “After many, many births, when actually  one becomes in knowledge, he surrenders unto Me.”
761101SB.VRN                    Lectures                     So for that there are so many practices, regulative principles, mentioned  here. The first thing is hamse gurau mayi bhaktyanuvrtya. This is  religion. Adau gurvasrayam. If you do not get a  qualified guru, then everything is bogus. If  you, by good fortune, if you get the association of a guru, qualified hamsa,  paramahamsa… Paramahamsa guru means sannyasi’s last stage is  paramahamsa. Kuticaka, bahudaka, parivrajakacarya, and  paramahamsa, these are the different stages.