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EDITORIAL March 26, 2000 VNN5750 Comment on this story On Choosing A Guru BY NAYANA-RANJANA DAS EDITORIAL, Mar 26 (VNN) — This is an article discussing the different things to be considered for choosing a guru according to the present circumstances. If one does not have a diksha guru as yet, it is better to wait for some or many years (even though it may take 10 or 20 years) and search out a guru who is chanting the pure Name (offenselessly) and who is directly serving under Srimati Radharani in the spiritual world then to suffer in hell for many lifetimes after accepting a guru on a lower platform and after seeing his shortcomings commit offenses against him or taking him lightly or reject him completely.
If one already has a guru on the intermediate platform then one should study Sri Krsna Bhajanamrta, Hari-nama-cintamani carefully and one should understand how to serve, respect and worship him inspite of his intermediate situation and his shortcomings. One should worship him with great care knowing in one's heart that he is also gradually progressing towards the perfect stage. We know from the Nectar of Instruction that his guidance won't be completely sufficient to take us back to Godhead. Now we may ask how do we know that the guru is really on that platform. I would say that a personality on the highest platform of devotional service would not remain hidden for long in a preaching movement like ISKCON unless ofcourse if he is a bhajananandi. He will be self-effulgent as per Srila Prabhupada. Wherever he is situated, he will exhibit his purity and spiritual potency. The most fortunate souls are the ones who get the shelter of a maha-bhagavata and follow his instructions because they don't have to do anything else to go back to Godhead. And the most unfortunate are the ones who give up the instructions of a maha-bhagavata after getting his shelter. Ultimately it is a fact that these guru-issue problems can't be fully solved unless an unanimously accepted, self-effulgent uttama adhikari guru is personally present in our society. Such a personality does not replace Prabhupada or the GBC but gives guidance to the GBC and glorifies Prabhupada even more simply by his presence. And that is why Prabhupada had said that his Guru Maharaj wanted to form the GBC and then let the self-effulgent acarya be automatically selected. So it is a fact that such acaryas are a must in a preaching society. A situation without them is a kind of compromise. The GBC alone cannot fully substitute for the absence of such an acarya or acaryas. And that is why Prabhupada said that when an acarya leaves the planet, there is chaos. And that chaos cannot be fully eliminated until the emergence of the next acarya. The next question can be that if we don't see anyone on that platform then do we go ahead with accepting the guru on a lower platform. We can do so if we feel the need for personal guidance but while accepting such a guru one should be aware that his guidance only will not be sufficient to take him back to Godhead. Even after being aware of such a situation he should give utmost service and respect to his guru and consult his guru even if he wants to go to a more advanced siksha guru for guidance. Then his faith is mature and is according to the scriptures and will not be shaken even in the unfortunate case when his guru happens to fall down. Thus the training and education to the aspiring disciples in ISKCON about the situation of uttama and madhyama gurus as per the above books is very necessary and should be made an inherent part of our education. By Vaisnava dasanudas Nayana-ranjana das Comment on this story  Contact VNN about this storySend this story to a friend
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