Is it wrong for the guru to be strict?

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Is It Wrong for the Spiritual Master to Be Strict?

July 25 2025

Sometimes we hear that it is wrong for the spiritual master to be strict with his disciples—that he should not be so strict. I have heard in this connection that I have a reputation in ISKCON for being strict. But in this regard, on November 25, 1968, in Los Angeles, Śrīla Prabhupāda explained as follows regarding the compassion of Arjuna for his kinsmen and thus wanting to not fight the battle:

“So-called compassion. He was thinking that by showing that compassion, he’ll be, I mean to say, eulogized by Kṛṣṇa. But Kṛṣṇa condemned it. Yes. Just the opposite. In other words, Kṛṣṇa is very strict also. That is the qualification of Kṛṣṇa and His associates.

Vajrād api kaṭhora and kusumād api kamala. Softer than the flower and harder than the thunderbolt. Two sides. When Kṛṣṇa is strict, He’s harder than the thunderbolt, and when He’s soft, He’s softer than the flower. These two examples are given: vajrād api kaṭhora, kusumād api kamala.

So Kṛṣṇa is not lenient to His friend or to His devotee, because that leniency will not help him. Will not help him. Sometimes He appears to be very hard for the devotee, but He’s not hard. Just like a father sometimes becomes very strict. That is good. That will be proved—how Kṛṣṇa’s hardness will prove His devotee’s salvation. At the end, Arjuna will admit, ‘By Your mercy, my illusion is now over.’”

Kindly note in the above that being strict is a qualification of Krishna and His associates, which includes the spiritual master. Also, in this connection, Srila Prabhupada writes in his purport to Sri Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Ādi-līlā, Chapter 12, Text 10, as follows:

Persons who strictly follow the orders of the spiritual master are useful in executing the will of the Supreme, whereas persons who deviate from the strict order of the spiritual master are useless.

Thus, we can understand that it is not proper for the spiritual master to be criticized for being strict. If someone feels entitled to criticize the spiritual master for his strictness, then why should the spiritual master not be allowed to correct his disciples when they deviate from the path of Krishna bhakti?

Sankarshan Das Adhikari

Srila Prabhupada Corrects His Disciples

Disciple

Stricter than a Thunderbolt

vajrād api kaṭhoraḥ

Thunderbolt

Softer than a Flower

kusumād api kamalaḥ

Flower

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Transcendental Reply

Please accept my humble obeisances, Srila Gurudeva and Srimati Gurumataji,
All glories to Srila Prabhupada.
Hare Krishna,
I once inquired from you about my 73-year-old mother with dementia. Your grace said to give her the holy name 24/7. And it’s our good fortune that we have got a caretaker for her who chants the Hare Krishna mahamantra and wears tilaka.

The point is, whenever I mention any problems, you give answers that Krishna hears!
Your words are powerful. Jai!

Thank you for your blessings.
Yours faithfully,
Shivani

Answer

From: Austin, Texas USA
My Dear Shivani,

Please accept my blessings.
All glories to Śrīla Prabhupāda.

This is the due to the grace of my beloved spiritual master, Srila Prabhupada.

I hope this meets you in the best of health and in a cheerful mood.

Your ever well-wisher,
Sankarshan Das Adhikari

How I Came to Krishna Consciousness

In a world obsessed with money, fame, and fleeting pleasures—leading nowhere but to the grave or the crematorium—I walked away. Life felt so meaningless, I couldn’t stand it. This is the true story of how I turned my back on the American materialistic dream and discovered something far greater: Krishna consciousness. A gripping journey of inner revolution and a call to awaken a world civilization on the edge of collapse.

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