subject: ‘Self-made' guru cannot be guru [print this page] Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna,
Who is a Guru? How do you identify one? How does one become a Guru or an Acharya? Is there a bonafide process to this end or is it an event in history that occurs by chance or may be by popular choice as in a democratic voting system. Can a guru be self-appointed? Let us find out from the teachings of His Divine Grace Srila Prabhupada.
Who is a Guru?
So let me begin by answering this fundamental question - Who is a guru?
Sabde pare ca nisnatam (Ref - Srimad Bhagavatam 11.3.21)
meaning that a guru is one who has full transcendental knowledge' (Ref - Srimad Bhagavatam 10.10.10 Purport by Srila Prabhupada).
He is an eternal associate of the Supreme personality of Godhead Krishna. The primary requisite of qualification of a Guru and the general symptoms of an Acharya are described in the Vedas.
tad-vijnanartham
sa gurum evabhigacchet
samit-panih srotriyam
brahma-nistham (Ref - Manduka Upanishad 1.2.12)
meaning that A guru must come in a disciplic succession, and he must have heard thoroughly about the Vedas from his spiritual master. Generally a guru's symptom is that he is a perfect devotee, that's all. And he serves Krsna by preaching His message' (Ref - Perfect Questions Perfect Answer 3: The Real Goal of life). So a spiritual master or Guru or Acharya is He who follows and explains the scripture. Having understood this let's come to another fundamental question that needs to be answered and that is How does one become a Guru or an Acharya?'
How does one become a Guru or an Acharya?
A Guru must be authorized. Regarding the matter Srila Prabhupada had this to say in aBhagavad-gitaclass on Oct 28th, 1975 in Nairobi "A guru can become guru when he's ordered by his guru. That's all. Otherwise nobody can become guru." So Srila Prabhupada emphasized that it is the Vedic tradition that one becomes a guru or acharya when authorised by his own guru. As simple as that.
Then the question boils down to a seemingly contradicting statement of Caitanya Mahaprabhu amara ajnaya: "By My order." And what is that order? Yare dekha, tare kaha 'krishna'-upadesa' (Ref Caitanya charitamrta, Madhya Lila, 7.128]. Then you become guru. So simplistically stating, you simply advise people to follow Krishna's instruction and then you become guru.
Now does this mean that therefore any preaching Krishna consciousness should be called a Guru? Here lies the catch. We must first understand that there is a gorge of difference between a Diksha-guru and a Siksha-guru although the essential preachings, based on guru-vani, of both these gurus remains the same. A Siksha-guru is any person who sheds light to a inquiring soul about Krishna Consciousness whereas a Diksha-guru is a Siksha-guru who has been authorized by His guru to become the next guru who can accept disciples of his own. Sometimes an acharya in the eventuality of a proper successor disciple not being present can appoint an officiating acharya (ritvik) who initiates disciples on behalf of Him. This ritvik cannot accept disciples of his own but can initiate devotees as the direct disciples of the appointing guru.
A ritvik system, consisting of 11 GBC members hand-picked by Srila Prabhupada Himself, similar to the one described above was in place even when Srila Prabhupada was physically present and the same system was deemed as appropriate to be functional after His physical disappearance as He could judge by His divine vision the non-availability of a suitable true-successor. With regards to this situation Prabhupada therefore passed the FINAL ORDER in this matter in a clearly documented memo/ affidavit that was sent to all temple presidents and the GBC (09-July-1977). He had also earlier categorically stated in this regard that He would remain the acharya of the ISKCON world for the next 10,000 years.
But unfortunately, in totally defiance of this system/ order of Srila Prabhupada, the GBC He had appointed to administrate on His behalf declared themselves to be the next acharyas. Thus began the never before heard of cult of Self-appointed' and Voted-in' acharyas or Gurus. The world has witnessed the hazards of such a blasphemous upheaval of a guru from His rightful place by His own selfish disciples not once but twice the case of Gaudiya mutt' and that of our very own ISKCON worldwide.
Let us now zero-in on the Vedic statements with regards to the system of self-appointed' acharyas in the next section.
Can a guru be self-appointed?
The answer is an emphatic NO. Neither can an acharya nor can a guru be voted-in. It is simply not a matter of somebody's figment of imagination, fancy or some democratic popularity based process. It is a very serious issue.
Srila Prabhupada in a Srimad Bhagavatam class, delivered on Feb 27th, 1977 at Mayapur has said "Guru' or Acharya' cannot be self-made. There is no such single instance throughout the whole Vedic literature."
In an other instance, His Divine Grace, also goes on to say, "Self-made guru cannot be guru, he must be authorized by the bona fide guru. Then he's guru. This is the fact. Nobody can be self-made anything. A medical practitioner, he cannot become self-made, that "I have studied all the medical books in my home." No. "Have you ever gone to the medical college and taken instruction from the bona fide teachers? Then, if you have got the certificate, then you are medical practitioner. Similarly, bona fide guru means he must be authorized by the superior guru" (Ref - Nectar Of Devotion, Lectures by Srila Prabhupada, Oct 31st, 1972, Vrindavana).
This is the bone of contention between devotees of ISKCON Bangalore, Hare Krishna Hill and the ISKCON Bombay and its allies. The ritvik system as mentioned by Srila Prabhupada is the mode of operation is ISKCON Bangalore and its allied centers where-in Prabhupada still remains as the Diksha-acharya. In total contrast, the concept of the need of a guru in physical realm, which is in total defiance of the teachings of HDG is the way of ISKCON Bombay & its allied centers worldwide. Madhu Pandit Das, President of ISKCON Bangalore at Rajajinagar has been championing the cause-and-stand of Srila Prabhupada's obvious scheme of things of remaining the acharya and diksha-guru for the next 9,000 and odd years of the Golden period of the Sankirtana movement with a ritvik style administration.
Srila Prabhupada is thus the guru or acharya of each and every initiated devotee of ISKCON or shall I say rightfully should-have-been.
