Launching a Global Revolution

The Krishna consciousness movement, under the expert guidance of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, is launching a global revolution for the respiritualization of the entire human society. This spiritual revolution is the greatest innovation the world has ever seen. Some may argue that the light bulb, the internet, Google, or the IPhone are the world's greatest innovations, but this is not a fact. How many people has any of them saved from the cycle of birth and death? Not even one. It is the Krishna consciousness movement which is having the greatest impact on world history. All those who take advantage of this movement will reap the supreme benefit of awakening the dormant love of Godhead within their hearts. And all those who neglect it will be at a great disadvantage for their future happiness. This movement does not require quitting one religion and joining another. This movement teaches one how to become spiritually perfect no matter which religious or philosophical pathway he chooses to follow.

Srila Prabhupada--The Greatest Innovator in World History

Answers by Citing the Vedic Version

Question: Who Is and Who Is Not a Bona Fide Guru?

What does guru mean? Who becomes guru? Is there any difference between guru and sadguru? How can a neophyte devotee identify a guru? Because of the innocence of the beginners on the self-realization path many unqualified men are posing as spiritual masters and misguiding the people. So how can we know who is real and who is not?

Balaramakrishna

Answer: Bona Fide Guru Purely Represents Krishna's Teachings

Guru literally means heavy and indicates a person who is heavy with Vedic knowledge. He purely represents the sublime teachings of Lord Sri Krishna. The only person who is qualified to be a guru is that person who has fully surrendered himself to a bona fide and has been ordered by his spiritual master to also become a guru. One cannot become a guru simply by declaring himself to be a guru.

Sadguru means the eternal guru, therefore if we consider the real meaning of guru, sadguru and guru means the same thing. They both indicate someone who has realized the Absolute Truth as described in the Vedic scriptures and who can convincingly teach that truth to others.

One has to realize who is a bona fide guru not by imagination or by popular votes. Rather guru must be understood by the authoritative statements given in the Vedic scriptures.

For example:

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 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."

Mundadaka Upanisad 1.2.12

tad vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum evābhigacchet
samit-pāṇiḥ śrotriyaṁ brahma-niṣṭham

"To learn the transcendental subject matter, one absolutely must approach a spiritual master. In doing so, he should carry fuel to burn in sacrifice. The symptom of such a spiritual master is that he is expert in understanding the Vedic conclusion and therefore he constantly engages in the service of the Supreme Personality of Godhead."

The bona fide spiritual master very compassionately elevates the common man to the transcendental platform by his divine instructions, which are confirmed in the Vedic scriptures. One must scrupulously distinguish between the bona fide gurus and the charlatans in order to avoid being cheated.

Sankarshan Das Adhikari