Toyo  1۵8۱
Taliks Between the Lord and Rāmānanda Rāya
163
It is stated in the  Hari-bhakti-vilāsa  that one should not accept initiation from a person who is not in the brahminical order if there is a fit person in the brahminical order present. This instruction is meant for those who are overly dependent on the mundane social order and is suitable for those who want to remain in mundane life. If one understands the truth of Kṛṣṇa consciousness and seriously desires to attain transcendental knowledge for the perfection of life, he can accept a spiritual master from any social status, provided the spiritual master is fully conversant with the science of Kṛṣṇa. Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura also states that although one is situated as a  brāhmaṇa ,  kṣatriya ,  vaiśya ,  śūdra ,  brahmacārī ,  vānaprastha ,  gṛhastha  or  sannyāsī , if he is conversant in the science of Kṛṣṇa he can become a spiritual master as  vartma-pradarśaka-guru ,  dīkṣā-guru  or  śikṣā-guru . One who first gives information about spiritual life is called the  vartma-pradarśaka-guru  or spiritual master. The spiritual master who initiates according to the regulations of the  śāstras  is called  dīkṣā-guru , and the spiritual master who gives instructions for elevation is called  śikṣā-guru . Factually the qualifications of a spiritual master depend on his knowledge of the science of Kṛṣṇa. It does not matter whether he is a  brāhmaṇa ,  kṣatriya ,  sannyāsī  or  śūdra . This injunction given by Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu is not at all against the injunctions of the  śāstras . In the  Padma Purāṇa  it is said:
na śūdrāḥ bhagavad-bhaktās te ‘pi bhāgavatottamāḥ sarva-varṇeṣu te śūdrā ye na bhaktā janārdane
One who is actually advanced in spiritual knowledge of Krṣṇa is never a  śūdra , even though he may have been born in a  śūdra  family. However, if a  vipra  or a  brāhmaṇa  is very expert in the six brahminical activities ( paṭhana ,  pāṭhana ,  yajana ,  yājana ,  dāna ,  pratigraha ) and is also well versed in the Vedic hymns, he cannot become a spiritual master unless he is a Vaiṣṇava. But if one is born in the family of  caṇḍālas  yet is well versed in Krṣṇa consciousness, he can become a  guru . These are the śāstric injunctions, and strictly following these injunctions, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, as a  gṛhastha  named Śrī Viśvambhara, was initiated by a  sannyāsī-guru  named Īśvara Purī. Similarly, Śrī Nityānanda Prabhu was initiated by Mādhavendra Purī, a  sannyāsī . According to others, however, He was initiated by Lakṣmīpati Tīrtha. Advaita Ācārya, although a  gṛhastha , was initiated by Mādhavendra Purī, and Śrī Rasikānanda, although born in a  brāhmaṇa  family, was initiated by Śrī Śyāmānanda Prabhu, who was not born in a caste  brāhmaṇa  family. There are many instances in which a born  brāhmaṇa  took initiation from a person who was not born in a  brāhmaṇa  family. The brahminical symptoms are explained in  Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam  (7.11.35), wherein it is stated: