Guru is as Good as God

I remember back in 1971 how amazed I was when His Holiness Vishnujana Swami told me, "You have to accept the spiritual master as good as God." Although I did not express it externally, my first reaction to this idea was disbelief. But when I ignored my fickle mind and thoughtfully analyzed this concept with my intelligence, it began to make a lot of sense to me. Because every word and action of the spiritual master is a pure manifestation of Krishna's teachings and Krishna's mercy, why he should not be taken to be as good as God? Later on I found that this principle is confirmed by Lord Krishna Himself in the Srimad Bhagavatam, 11th canto, chapter 17, text 27 as follows:

ācāryaṁ māṁ vijānīyān
nāvamanyeta karhicit
na martya-buddhyāsūyeta
sarva-deva-mayo guruḥ

“One should know the acharya as Myself and never disrespect him in any way. One should not envy him, thinking him an ordinary man, for he is the representative of all the demigods.”

Spiritual Master is a Direct Manifestation of Krishna

Spiritual Master is a Direct Manifestation of Krishna

Answers by Citing the Vedic Version

Question: Is Guru Guru and Nothing Else?

Gurudeva,

Namaste

My questions are:

Have you seen real life after this unreal life?

and

Who is a better guru, the internal guru or external guru, who can safely perfect your life and lead you to Godhead in the present life?

Yours in yoga

Janardan V. Mali

Answer: No. Guru is a Manifestation of Krishna

By the grace of my spiritual master, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, I am constantly living in the real eternal life beyond this temporary material life.

We cannot say that one manifestation of Krishna is better than another manifestation of Krishna. According to the Srimad Bhagavatam, 11th canto, chapter 29, text 6, Krishna Himself appears both as the Supersoul within the heart and externally as the acharya or spiritual master:

naivopayanty apacitiṁ kavayas taveśa
brahmāyuṣāpi kṛtam ṛddha-mudaḥ smarantaḥ
yo 'ntar bahis tanu-bhṛtām aśubhaṁ vidhunvann
ācārya-caittya-vapuṣā sva-gatiṁ vyanakti

"O my Lord! Transcendental poets and experts in spiritual science could not fully express their indebtedness to You, even if they were endowed with the prolonged lifetime of Brahma, for You appear in two features—externally as the acharya and internally as the Supersoul—to deliver the embodied living being by directing him how to come to You."

In this connection it is also important to understand the following point explained by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada in his purport to Caitanya Caritamrita, Adi 1.44:

"Every living entity is essentially a servant of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and the spiritual master is also His servant. Still, the spiritual master is a direct manifestation of the Lord. With this conviction, a disciple can advance in Krishna consciousness. The spiritual master is nondifferent from Krishna because he is a manifestation of Krishna."

Sankarshan Das Adhikari

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