(On Criticism of the Pure Devotee)

by bhakta Eric Johanson

yanra citte krsna-prema karaye udaya
tanra vakya, kriya, mudra vijneha na bujhaya
“Even the most learned man cannot understand the words, activities and symptoms of a person situated in love of Godhead.” Sri Chaitanya Charitamrita Madhya-lila 23.39

The Bona Fide Spiritual Master

In order to understand what is beyond our sense observation and realize the absolute truth we require to come in contact with a person who is already intimately familiar with them. Such a person is called a spiritual master:

om ajnana-timirandhasya
jnananjana-salakaya
caksur unmilitam yena
tasmai sri-gurave namah
“I offer my respectful obeisances unto my spiritual master, who, with the torchlight of knowledge, has opened my eyes, which were blinded by the darkness of ignorance.” Gautamiya-tantra

The pure devotee spiritual master has already realized and never departs from the absolute truth:

tad-vijnanartham sa gurum evabhigacchet
samit-panih srotriyam brahma-nistham
“In order to learn the transcendental science, one must approach the bona fide spiritual master in disciplic succession, who is fixed in the Absolute Truth.” Mundaka Upanisad 1.2.12

This spiritual realization and knowledge is what characterizes the God-realized guru. Such an enlightened person is free from the material conception of life with its desire to lord it over and is able to give this knowledge and conviction to others:

tasmad gurur prapadyeta
jijnasuh sreya uttamam
sabde pare ca nisnatam
brahmany upasamasrayam
“Any person who seriously desires to achieve real happiness must seek out a bona fide spiritual master and take shelter of him by initiation. The qualification of this spiritual master is that he must have realized the conclusion of the scriptures by deliberation and be able to convince others of these conclusions. Such great personalities, who have taken shelter of the Supreme Godhead, leaving aside all material considerations, are to be understood as bona fide spiritual masters.” Srimad-Bhagavatam 11.3.21 Continue reading →