Intoxicated and Liberated

Why be a miserable, stereotypical, run-of-the-mill slave of your senses and of this material world's beastly leaders when you can instead become a liberated soul (jivan-mukta) by taking shelter of the umbrella of Lord Sri Krishna's lotus feet through drinking the intoxicating nectar of Krishna's qualities and activities in enlivening discussions with His devotees?

Sankarshan Das Adhikari

Answers by Citing the Vedic Version:

Question: Who is a Bona Fide Spiritual Master?

Who is a bona fide spiritual master? Does this mean a spiritual master who can deliver one from the afflictions of worldly life? If so, then who can be such a spiritual master?

Thank you very much,
Bitan Bhattacharya

Answer: He Liberates You from Birth and Death

Yes, the bona fide spiritual master is he who can deliver us from the pangs of material life. He frees us from the miserable cycle of birth and death and delivers us back to our original pure identity in the pastimes of the Supreme Lord in the spiritual world. The qualification for the bona fide spiritual master is given as follows in the Srimad Bhagavatam 11.3.21:

tasmād guruṁ prapadyeta
jijñāsuḥ śreya uttamam
śābde pare ca niṣṇātaṁ
brahmaṇy upaśamāśrayam

“Therefore any person who seriously desires real happiness must seek a bona fide spiritual master and take shelter of him by initiation. The qualification of the bona fide guru is that he has realized the conclusions of the scriptures by deliberation and is able to convince others of these conclusions. Such great personalities, who have taken shelter of the Supreme Godhead, leaving aside all material considerations, should be understood to be bona fide spiritual masters.”

Sankarshan Das Adhikari

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