Acaryas Are Not Made They Are Manifested

Ācāryas Are Not Made They Are Manifested
Afternoon darśana
San Diego California 23 June 1992

Devotee 1: The devotees want to hear something about who is guru and what is the necessity of accepting guru.
Gour Govinda Swami: First, one should understand that the goal of this human birth is to get Kṛṣṇa:

labdhvā su-durlabham idaṁ bahu-sambhavānte
mānuṣyam artha-dam anityam apīha dhīraḥ
tūrṇaṁ yateta na pated anu-mṛtyu yāvan
niḥśreyasāya viṣayaḥ khalu sarvataḥ syāt

“After many, many births and deaths one achieves the rare human form of life, which, although temporary, affords one the opportunity to attain the highest perfection. Thus a sober human being should quickly endeavor for the ultimate perfection of life as long as his body, which is always subject to death, has not fallen down and died. After all, sense gratification is available even in the most abominable species of life, whereas Kṛṣṇa consciousness is possible only for a human being.”—Bhāgavatam 11.9.29

After undergoing lakhs and lakhs of species of life one gets this rarely achieved human birth. The paramārtha, the supreme goal, is kṛṣṇa-prema-bhakti, by which Kṛṣṇa is obtained and bound up. One should think, “How can I get that bhakti and how can I get Kṛṣṇa?” Without bhakti one cannot get Kṛṣṇa.

bhaktyā tv ananyayā śakya aham evaṁ-vidho ’rjuna
jñātuṁ draṣṭuṁ ca tattvena praveṣṭuṁ ca parantapa

My dear Arjuna, only by undivided devotional service can I be understood as I am, standing before you, and can thus be seen directly. Only in this way can you enter into the mysteries of My understanding.—Bhagavad-gītā 11.54

The Gītā, Bhāgavatam, and all Vedic literatures repeatedly state that Kṛṣṇa is obtained only by bhakti. So how can we get bhakti?

bhaktis tu bhagavad-bhakta-saṅgena parijāyate

“By the association of a bhagavad-bhakta, a dear devotee of the Lord, a sādhu, one develops bhakti.” —Bṛhan Nāradīya Purāṇa 4.33

Who is a Sādhu?
Then another question comes: Who is a real sādhu? A real sādhu is completely surrendered unto Kṛṣṇa. He has no other desire than to serve Kṛṣṇa with pure love twenty-four hours, day and night, ānukūlyena kṛṣṇānu-śīlanam. One who has gotten prema-bhakti, who has gotten Kṛṣṇa, is a real sādhu. One should accept such a sādhu, then he can approach Kṛṣṇa. One cannot approach directly.

brahmāṇḍa bhramite kona bhāgyavān jīva
guru-kṛṣṇa-prasāde pāya bhakti-latā-bīja

—Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya 19.151

This is Mahāprabhu’s teaching to Sanātana Gosvāmī: After undergoing lakhs and lakhs of species of life through lakhs and lakhs of universes, if someone is bhāgyavān, fortunate, he gets the mercy of Kṛṣṇa and guru and the seed of bhakti is sown in his heart. This word bhāgyavān, fortunate, is significant. What is genuine good fortune? That person who meets guru, the bona-fide representative of Kṛṣṇa, is fortunate. 

Only one who has gotten Kṛṣṇa, who has bound up Kṛṣṇa in his heart, only he can make Kṛṣṇa appear in the heart of his devoted disciple. No one else can give you Kṛṣṇa. If someone has not gotten, how can he give? If you have one dollar you can give fifty cents, sixty cents or one dollar. But if you don’t have, then how can you give? Similarly, we should approach someone who has obtained Kṛṣṇa, who has developed prema-bhakti and has bound up Kṛṣṇa in his heart.

kṛṣṇa se tomāra, kṛṣṇa dite pāro, tomāra śakati āche
āmi to’ kaṅgāla, ‘kṛṣṇa kṛṣṇa’ bali’, dhāi tava pāche pāche

“O Vaiṣṇava Ṭhākura, Kṛṣṇa belongs to you because you have bound Him up in your heart by the rope of prema. Only you can give me Kṛṣṇa because you have gotten Him. I am kaṅgāla, I am a pauper. I am bereft of Kṛṣṇa, so I am running behind you begging your causeless mercy, ‘Please give me Kṛṣṇa! Please give me Kṛṣṇa.’”

Kaṭha Upaniṣad (1.2.23) says:

nāyam ātmā pravacanena labhyo na medhayā na bahunā śrutena
yam evaiṣa vṛṇute tena labhyas tasyaiṣa ātmā vivṛṇute tanuṁ svām

One may hear pravacanas, lectures, from so many persons, but if they are not realized souls, if they have not gotten Kṛṣṇa, not developed prema-bhakti, one will not be able to understand this paramārtha-tattva, this supreme goal. One cannot understand this tattva by dint of his merit, scholarship, or intelligence. It can be understood only by one who is always crying in his heart, “Oh Kṛṣṇa, how can I know You? How can I approach You?”

Kṛṣṇa is there in the heart. He understands, “This soul is crying for Me.” So He arranges for that person to meet a bona-fide guru who can give him Kṛṣṇa, who can teach him about kṛṣṇa-tattva. That dear devotee, who is Kṛṣṇa’s bona fide representative, is the manifestation of Paramātmā. That is guru-tattva. Paramātmā only manifests Himself as guru before a person who is crying for Kṛṣṇa in his heart.

“How can I get Kṛṣṇa? How can I approach Kṛṣṇa? How can I serve Kṛṣṇa? Without Kṛṣṇa’s dear devotee, His representative the guru, I cannot do so. I don’t know who is guru. I am a conditioned soul having four defects. I cannot recognize such a person with my defective senses. But Kṛṣṇa, You know who is Your dear devotee. Unless You help me, how can I come to You?” This is the prayer to be offered to Kṛṣṇa. By Kṛṣṇa’s mercy one will meet such a guru who is Kṛṣṇa’s dear devotee and bona fide representative.

Take shelter of him and completely surrender—guru-pādāśraya-dīkṣā. As Gītā says, praṇipātena paripraśnena sevayā—Serve him, please him, satisfy him, and then humbly ask questions relating to tattva. By his causeless mercy he will impart tattva-jñāna. This is the process. Take shelter of him and do bhajana under his guidance.

You don’t know how to do bhajana. Kṛṣṇa is the bhajanīya-vastu, the worshipable object. Guru will teach you how to serve Kṛṣṇa, how to surrender unto His lotus feet, how to please Him. He will teach you by his own example, not theoretically. Under his guidance you will do sādhana, bhajana:

tāte kṛṣṇa bhaje, kare gurura sevana
māyā-jāla chuṭe, pāya kṛṣṇera caraṇa

If the conditioned soul engages in the service of the Lord and simultaneously carries out the orders of his spiritual master and serves him, he can get out of the clutches of māyā and become eligible for shelter at Kṛṣṇa’s lotus feet. —Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya 22.25

Heavy Responsibility
Such a guru, who is a bona-fide representative of Kṛṣṇa, has come down from Kṛṣṇa’s abode. There is a prema-bhakti-sūtra. Sūtra means a rope or thread. One end of the prema-bhakti-sūtra is attached to the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa in Goloka Vṛndāvana. The guru has come with the other end of that rope here. The conditioned souls, fallen in the deep, dark well of material existence, are suffering. Such a guru is outside the well. He’s not under the grip of māyā.

He throws his end of the rope to the conditioned souls in the dark well of material existence and says, “Clasp it very tightly.” Then he pulls you up. This is the process. The guru does this. It is not an easy affair to deliver even one conditioned soul from the fort of māyā. Guru has to spend gallons and gallons of spiritual blood to deliver just one soul. It is a heavy responsibility. If even one conditioned soul is delivered, the guru feels so much happiness.

It is a reciprocal affair. It is not one-sided. You should clasp the end of the rope very tightly. That means you should follow the guru’s instruction as it is. Don’t twist it. Don’t add any of your deliberation to it. Whatever he says, just do exactly that. He gives some ‘do’s’ and some ‘don’ts.’ You must strictly follow his instructions. Don’t be lazy. Then guru will pull you up. Otherwise, if you are not serious, if you are lazy, careless or superfluous, you will never accept guru’s instruction.

Or you half accept it and half reject it. You add your own deliberations and twist it. Then you cannot be helped. If you are very serious, very strict, then guru will pull you up. That is his duty. Otherwise, guru may lift you up, then you deviate or become lenient and then you again fall down. Seeing this, the guru feels great pain in his heart, “I spent so many gallons of blood to deliver him, but this fellow didn’t follow, so he fell down.” To deliver just one soul from māyā’s fortress is a very difficult task. It is a heavy responsibility. This is guru.

Devotee 1: It is said that guru is one. How do we understand that in the presence of different bona-fide spiritual masters? Is there any specific distinction?
Gour Govinda Swami: Is the Lord one or many? Advaya-tattva. Ekam eva dvitīyaṁ nāsti—The absolute is one, not many. But those who do not know this tattva say, “Oh, there are many gods. Rāma is a god, Nṛsiṁha is a god, Vāmana is a god, Matsya is a god.”

They are confused. But if one understands in tattva then there is no confusion. As the Lord is one, so also guru is one in tattva, but there are different manifestations. A conditioned soul cannot understand this by himself. By the mercy of guru one receives this tattva-jñāna.

Levels of Gurus
Devotee 1: So there are different varieties of gurus?
Gour Govinda Swami: Yes.
Devotee 1: Can we say that among them there are different levels of advancement—madhyama-adhikāra, kaniṣṭha-adhikāra?

Gour Govinda Swami: Yes, different levels of advancement are there. As one deserves one gets. As an example, a shopkeeper may have varieties of commodities, first class, second class, and third class. Different customers want different qualities of commodities. The shopkeeper wants to dispose of his goods, so he shows you a third class item and tells you it is first class. In this way he tests to see whether the customer wants third class or first class, and how much he can afford. If, after seeing his goods, you say, “No, I don’t appreciate this. Do you have anything better?”

Then the shopkeeper replies, “Better things are there, but the price is more—fifty dollars.” If you can afford it, you say, “All right, show me.” Then he will show you something superior. And then if you again say, “No, no. I want something better.” “I have something better than this, but the price is one hundred dollars.” If you are prepared to spend the money you will say, “Yes, I want that thing.” Then he shows you the best quality. So varieties are there, it is up to you to decide what you want.

Devotee 1: Where do we get the money to make our purchase?

Gour Govinda Swami: You have to earn the money, otherwise how can you purchase the commodity? It is up to you what variety you want. One who is really crying, thinks, “I want the best. I don’t want second class or third class. I want the topmost.” Kṛṣṇa knows your heart, so he makes an arrangement. It is up to you. What you desire, you get.

Kṛṣṇa knows what you deserve and He makes an appropriate arrangement for you. If Kṛṣṇa sees, “This fellow is not serious. He is just speaking externally. He is not crying in his heart. He wants to be cheated.” Then Kṛṣṇa tells māyā to make an arrangement, and you are cheated. As you deserve, you get.

Hypocrites and Pretenders
Devotee 1: Prabhupāda used to give the example that sometimes persons posing as sādhus go to holy places, and also some frivolous women go just to capture a sādhu so that they can have a son. However, the person who is posing as a sādhu is not really a sādhu.

Gour Govinda Swami: Yes, he is a hypocrite, a pretender. There are many pretenders and many hypocrites. But a real sādhu is very rare. Still, genuine sādhus are there. If there were no sun and moon how would this cosmic manifestation go on? Similarly, if there were no sādhus how would Kṛṣṇa’s saṁsāra, Kṛṣṇa’s līlā, go on? Because we are conditioned souls our vision is defective.

Even though a sādhu may come before us we cannot see him. Therefore, one should not say that there are no sādhus. Instead, one should say, “I am a blind person. I cannot see the sādhu.” Then one will be very eager to acquire such vision.

Only by the help of the sunshine can you see the sun. Similarly, only by the mercy of Kṛṣṇa can you see Him or understand Him. That mercy is received through a pure sādhu. Only by the mercy of a sādhu can you see or understand Kṛṣṇa. You cannot understand Kṛṣṇa through your intelligence or merit. You cannot see Him by your vision. Most people think they are the seer. You are not the seer. Kṛṣṇa is the seer. Sādhu is the seer. You are to be seen. You think it is just the opposite so you are cheated. You have no vision, how can you see?

This is our Vaiṣṇava philosophy. This is Mahāprabhu’s teaching. We are very proud of our senses. We want to see. We want to perceive through our senses, but they are defective. The only thing required is to cry before Kṛṣṇa, from the core of the heart. Then Kṛṣṇa makes a perfect arrangement. Those who have cried, they have gotten. Those who have not cried, they have not gotten.

You have to cry, then you’ll meet guru. By guru’s mercy you’ll get Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa-kṛpā and guru-kṛpā are interrelated. In Mahāprabhu’s teachings to Rūpa Gosvāmī in Caitanya-caritāmṛta he has said, guru-kṛṣṇa-prasāde pāya bhakti-latā-bīja—By the mercy of guru and Kṛṣṇa one receives the seed of the devotional creeper. First comes kṛṣṇa-kṛpā, by which you meet guru, and then, by the mercy of guru, you get Kṛṣṇa. That is our process.

Mercy and Cheating
Devotee: I have heard that the disciple has to be very serious.

Gour Govinda Swami: If one is not serious one cannot get anything. You should understand that the sādhu has two things: kṛpā and vañcanā. Vañcanā means cheating. One who deserves kṛpā, mercy, gets it. One who deserves cheating, he is cheated. The example is Puṇḍarīka Vidyānidhi. Puṇḍarīka Vidyānidhi was a very elevated devotee, a mahā-bhāgavata. However, if anyone would see him they would think he was a bhogī, an enjoyer. He would wear costly garments and keep valuable rings on all ten fingers.

He would sit on an opulent cushion and chew pān, spitting in a precious pot made of gold and aṣṭadhātu. How is he a mahā-bhāgavata? Externally, he seemed to be a bhogī. But what is inside, no one can understand. Only one who has vision can understand and see his real form. Those who only see what is on the outside are cheated. Many people are not serious to see the real thing. They only want external things. They want to be cheated, so that’s what they get.

Once Mukunda told Gadādhara Paṇḍita, let us go and take association of Puṇḍarīka Vidyānidhi, he is a mahā-bhāgavata. When Gadādhara Paṇḍita arrived there he only saw these outward things, and in his mind he thought, “What has Mukunda told me? He is a mahā-bhāgavata? He is a bhogī!” Mukunda could understand what Gadādhara was thinking, so he immediately recited a verse from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam:

aho bakī yaṁ stana-kāla-kūṭaṁ
jighāṁsayāpāyayad apy asādhvī
lebhe gatiṁ dhātry-ucitāṁ tato ’nyaṁ
kaṁ vā dayāluṁ śaraṇaṁ vrajema

(Bhāgavatam 3.2.23)

Bakī means Pūtanā, the sister of Bakāsura. To kill baby Kṛṣṇa, she smeared a very dreadful poison on her breast. She then allowed Kṛṣṇa to suck her breast. But what did Kṛṣṇa do? Kṛṣṇa sucked her breast, and along with it He sucked out her life air. She died, but as she had done the work of a mother, Kṛṣṇa gave her the position of mother. Therefore this verse is saying, “Is there anyone to take shelter of who is more merciful than Kṛṣṇa?”

As soon as Mukunda spoke this verse Puṇḍarīka Vidyānidhi became ecstatic. He rolled on the ground and tears came from his eyes. All of the aṣṭa-sāttvika-bhāva symptoms were manifest in him. He tore his opulent cushion, smashed his spitting pot and rolled on the ground crying. Gadādhara Paṇḍita thought, “Oh, he is a genuine mahā-bhāgavata. I have committed offense thinking him to be a bhogī.

Unless I am punished by him, how will I be free of the reactions to this offense? I must become his disciple. Then he will catch hold of my ear and slap me. He will inflict discipline on me and in that way I’ll be freed from my reaction.” Therefore Gadādhara Paṇḍita took mantra from Puṇḍarīka Vidyānidhi and became his disciple.

So Puṇḍarīka Vidyānidhi’s external appearance was cheating; his inner nature was different. But who could see it? Therefore, sādhu has two things, kṛpā and vañcanā—mercy and cheating. If someone only wants external things he is cheated. And if he wants inner things, he gets mercy, kṛpā. Therefore I say, you deserve what you get. Kṛṣṇa knows what you want and what you deserve.

A suitable arrangement will be made for you. Although there are many thousands of Prabhupāda disciples, how many have gotten real mercy? One says, “Don’t you know who I am? I am a Prabhupāda disciple!” In actuality, he is suffering and suffering. Now he has become a karmī and is gliding down to hell. Why is this? If you are not serious, you cannot receive mercy. You are such a rascal.

He gave you mercy but you cannot receive it. You are so unfortunate. Sometimes I become amazed, “How is it that these Prabhupāda disciples cannot understand this?” If you are serious, if you are hankering and crying in your heart, then mercy and help is always there. It is hanging like a rope in front of you—you just have to grab it. However, you are careless, you are not serious. Therefore, although it is hanging right in front of you, still you cannot have it.

Devotee 1: Śrīla Prabhupāda gave the example of how a doctor can recognize another doctor, a businessman another businessman.
Gour Govinda Swami: Yes, because they have the vision. If you have no vision you’ll only misunderstand, and misunderstanding is poison. This is going on.

Guru Means Heavy
Devotee 1: We are trying to protect our ISKCON society from whatever bad experiences our reputation has suffered in the past. So as Prabhupāda disciples and grand disciples, we have the responsibility to set a good example. To be serious with our guru and also among those who play the role of gurus…

Gour Govinda Swami: Yes, one who plays the role of guru should be guru in the true sense, not a pretender or a cheater. He must be a real teacher. He should be conscious of his capacity. If I can only carry one ton, why should I accept a load of two tons? If you take more than you can carry you’ll be crushed, degraded. That is the result of greed. Why develop such greed? One should be conscious of his capacity. “I have no capacity, I cannot deliver a soul, I am not liberated myself, so why shall I accept disciples?”

That is only cheating and hypocrisy, nothing else. I am not completely free from anarthas, so how can I make him free? Guru means heavy. It also means heavy responsibility. It is not an easy affair to deliver even one soul from the clutches of māyā, the fort of Durgā. To do so, guru has to spend gallons and gallons of spiritual blood. This is not child’s play. Also, the disciple must be serious.

On the spiritual path there is no question of gauṇa, mundane vote, drawing conclusions based on the opinions of the masses. Because thousands of people say that Satya Sai is Bhagavān, people accept him as such. This is gaddālikā-srota-nyāya, the logic of the flock of sheep. A flock of sheep is following the leader ewe. If that ewe jumps into a ditch the whole flock will follow. This is going on. This is a personal matter, not impersonal.

If you are serious, if you are crying in your heart, Kṛṣṇa will make an arrangement for you. You’ll meet a pure devotee, a bona fide representative of Kṛṣṇa who can give you Kṛṣṇa. The test is that you will feel spontaneous attraction from your heart for that sādhu. Then you’ll understand, “Yes, this is Kṛṣṇa’s arrangement. I was crying for it and now it has spontaneously come.” This is the only test, nothing else.

Devotee 1: In order to be protected, the disciple should always follow and not deviate from the orders of the spiritual master?

Gour Govinda Swami: Yes, don’t deviate. If he deviates he’ll fall down. They commit aparādha, so they fall down. Otherwise, why would they deviate? If you have really developed kṛṣṇa-prema, and you are always absorbed in seeing the all-beautiful form of Kṛṣṇa, how can you be attracted towards the ugly witch māyā? If someone is attracted that means he is not completely free from the clutches of māyā. He has not gotten Kṛṣṇa, so how can he give you Kṛṣṇa? That is my question.

Devotee 1: Mahārāja, sometimes it is seen that a disciple who is not serious may leave his guru and pursue enjoyment like a karmī. It seems that his deviation is not as dangerous as someone who deviates philosophically.

Gour Govinda Swami: Yes, his deviation is more dangerous. A karmī is better. A karmī doesn’t know he is deviating, but for a disciple who has come to this path, who has heard philosophy, who has accepted guru, if he deviates it is definitely more dangerous. If someone is branded a thief then people are cautious, “Yes, he’s a thief.” But a thief in the dress of a sādhu is more dangerous.

Inexcusable Offense
Devotee: I have a family member who was initiated by a guru who left ISKCON.
Gour Govinda Swami: One who left Prabhupāda has committed a great offense, an inexcusable offense at the lotus feet of Śrīla Prabhupāda.
Devotee: This guru got reinitiated, he has a different name now.

Gour Govinda Swami: That means he belittled Prabhupāda. Left Prabhupāda, saying he is not a bona fide guru. That means he has committed a great offense, an inexcusable offense. Will Kṛṣṇa excuse his offense? Kṛṣṇa cannot, do you understand? Hari-sthāne aparādhe tāre hari-nāma, tomā sthāne aparādhe nāhi paritrāṇa.

If you commit an offense at the lotus feet of Hari, hari-nāma will deliver you. If you commit aparādha at the lotus feet of a pure Vaiṣṇava, Hari cannot help you, nobody can help you. He may be reinitiated, but that is only a farce, nothing else. Who will excuse him of his offense? No, he cannot be excused.

Devotee: Excuse can only come from the person whom you have offended.

Srila Gour Govinda Swami: Yes! We give one example. If a thorn is pierced through the heel, can it be gotten out by the shoulder? This example is not mine, Jīva Gosvāmī has given it in Bhakti-sandarbha. I follow the previous ācāryas. If a thorn is pierced through the heel, it cannot be gotten out through the shoulder. It can only come out through the heel, the way he has gotten it.

Jīva Gosvāmī has also quoted, bhūmau skhalita-pādānāṁ bhūmir evāvalambanam—If your feet have slipped on this ground, only this ground will give you shelter, no other ground. Jīva Gosvāmī has explained these things. How will anyone else deliver him? No, this is only cheating, nothing else. And another Vaiṣṇava process is there:

If you want to go to another guru to have something else or some higher teaching, get permission from the guru you have accepted. If he gives his blessing and you go, then there is no offense. Then you’ll make advancement. But if you go without permission you commit a great blunder, a great offense, an inexcusable offense.

Śikṣā Guru
Devotee: Somehow or other I called my family member to come with ISKCON, so he is serving Prabhupāda’s mission.
Srila Gour Govinda Swami: Did that guru give permission for him to come?
Devotee: Yes, he gave permission. He said it’s okay to go with ISKCON.

Srila Gour Govinda Swami: So he came with permission. That is the correct process, in that way there is no offense. A Vaiṣṇava is magnanimous. Gladly he gives his blessings and permission. If he does not do it he is not a Vaiṣṇava. “That soul wants to go there. He appreciates that other guru. He has attraction for him. Let him go and be delivered.” That is Vaiṣṇava. A Vaiṣṇava is so magnanimous. This is Vaiṣṇava ācāra, Vaiṣṇava etiquette. “Gladly I give my blessings. Go and be delivered, be elevated, get Kṛṣṇa. Let a soul be delivered!”

Devotee: So if my family member wants to take reinitiation from my guru he can go to his guru and ask for permission to do that?

Srila Gour Govinda Swami: But if that guru is not fallen, if he is a Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava, no initiation is required. Take śikṣā. Be connected by śikṣā. You have developed attraction, attachment, that this guru will help you. But don’t take dīkṣā, because the dīkṣā-guru is not fallen. In case the dīkṣā-guru is fallen then the question arises. But if the dīkṣā-guru is not fallen, there is no need. Dīkṣā-guru is one, but śikṣā-gurus are many. This is our Vaiṣṇava philosophy.

Devotee: But if that dīkṣā-guru left, isn’t that a fallen condition?

Srila Gour Govinda Swami: Yes, that means he committed an offense at the lotus feet of Śrīla Prabhupāda. He was Prabhupāda’s disciple. He left without the permission of Prabhupāda. That means he’s a great offender. He’s fallen. In this case, yes. But I say if he’s a Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava and he’s not fallen, then there is no need. Otherwise, in this case he’s a great offender. This is a different case.

Manifest Not Made
Devotee 1: One more question: in order to protect our ISKCON society and also to protect the guru… just like in Christianity they sometimes say Jesus Christ is God, now….
Gour Govinda Swami: Jesus Christ didn’t say, “I am God.” He said, “I am the son of God.”

Devotee 1: So in the same way, within ISKCON many prominent souls, ācāryas will arise. But at the same time the guru never wants to say that he is a big person or…

Gour Govinda Swami: No, no. A Vaiṣṇava thinks himself to be the lowest of the low, tṛṇād api sunīcena. If someone thinks he is a big personality, he’s a great rascal, a demon. Only a demon would speak like that. A Vaiṣṇava would never say such a thing. Prabhupāda has spoken on this: Just before Prabhupāda disappeared, he said, “At present, none of you will be ācārya. Ācārya will become self-manifest.” Bhaktisiddhānta didn’t appoint any ācārya. He said, “Ācāryas are not made, they appear, they manifest.” All of our ācāryas have said like that.

Devotee 2: Are we are supposed to see all of our spiritual master’s godbrothers as his equals?
Gour Govinda Swami: We should see the godbrothers of our spiritual master as good as guru. We pay respect; we are not the judge.
Devotee 3: Sometimes different gurus differ in their instructions. How can we understand that?

Gour Govinda Swami: Yes, they may differ. Different opinions are there. Jīva Gosvāmī sometimes says one thing and Śrīdhara Svāmī something else, and then Viśvanātha Cakravartī again says another thing. That is always there. But the philosophy is not polluted. They never deviate with philosophy. But opinions are there. They are very elevated ācāryas. They have their own vision, their own realization. They sometimes give different opinions, but that is not harmful.

Devotee 1: In our case, with any instruction any guru may give, we must be careful to be sure that they are in line with Śrīla Prabhupāda’s desire.
Gour Govinda Swami: Yes, they must be in line with our Gauḍīya-Vaiṣṇava-dhārā. They must not contradict the philosophy of Mahāprabhu. Then it is all right.

Lowest of the Low
Devotee 3: Sometimes I commit offenses to devotees because I don’t appreciate them enough. How can I learn to have more esteem for devotees, to be inclined to serve them and treat them properly?

Gour Govinda Swami: Pay respect to one and all. Mahāprabhu says, amāninā mānadena —“Don’t demand respect. Rather, pay respect to one and all.” You should respect all jīvas. Offer respect to Paramātmā inside, not to the body. What harm is there? A real sādhu never disrespects any soul, not even an ant, because the ant is a soul and Paramātmā is also there. The sādhu offers respect to one and all, but he does it in his mind. Others pay respect publicly. It is your gain to offer respect. There is no loss or harm to you because you are paying respect to Paramātmā.

Devotee: So I should practice offering respect to everyone?

Gour Govinda Swami: Yes, this is Mahāprabhu’s teaching—tṛṇād api sunīcena. What does He mean? “I am much humbler and more insignificant than a blade of grass lying on the street. I am the lowest of the low. All are Vaiṣṇavas but I am not a Vaiṣṇava. This should be our mood. Otherwise you cannot do hari-bhajana.

Pride will come to you. You will become a demon instead of becoming a devotee. Our attitude should be, “If a list is prepared with everyone’s name in order of their importance, my name will come at the last. Nobody is below me. This is my position.” This is the mood of a real Vaiṣṇava.

Devotee 3: I shouldn’t ask for any respect for myself but I should give respect to everyone else.
Gour Govinda Swami: Yes, we should respect everyone. “All are Vaiṣṇavas but I am not a Vaiṣṇava. I am not a devotee.” This is the proper mood. This is tṛṇād api sunīcena-bhāva. A Vaiṣṇava is humble. He is not puffed up.

Humbly Inquire
Devotee 2: Sometimes our godbrothers tell us that we shouldn’t talk to our guru and ask him certain questions.

Gour Govinda Swami: Why not ask questions? If I have some doubt, I must ask. Then your saṁśaya, your doubts, will be clarified. Quoting authority, the guru will dispel all the doubts of a disciple. Saṁśayātmā vinaśyati—If there is a tinge of doubt you will perish, you will be vanquished, you will make no advancement. Any little doubt may be humbly asked. Pay obeisances and ask, “Please, this is my doubt, this is my question, please help me.”

Devotee 2: I have one doubt. It is not a real doubt. Sometimes people ask me… they hear this tape of Śrīla Prabhupāda chanting and he’s not chanting the whole mantra. If you hear the tape, he’s chanting like …hare kṛṣṇa hare kṛṣṇa kṛṣṇa kṛṣṇa hare… rāma hare rāma rāma rāma hare hare. I don’t know how to answer them.

Gour Govinda Swami: That means that Prabhupāda doesn’t chant correctly? You are finding fault with Prabhupāda? Nonsense! Idiot! You are only committing offense. You cannot hear him chant. You have defective senses. Don’t do this! Don’t listen to these bogus persons. You’ll only be confused and bewildered. Listen to a proper, bona-fide person. Accept instructions from him. What he says, accept it. If you have some doubts, then put them before guru and get the point clarified.