२६९
Šri Caitanya-caritāmrta
[[Madhya-lilā Ch 24]]
assured of the spiritual master’s position. Similarly, the spiritual master can also be assured of the disciple’s position. The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa, should be described as the worshipable object, and you should consider the bīja-mantra for the worship of Kṛṣṇa, Rāma or any other expansion of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
PURPORT
In the  Padma Purāṇa , the characteristics of the  guru , the bona fide spiritual master, have been described:
mahā-bhāgavata-śreṣṭho 
    brāhmaṇo vai gurur nṛṇām 
    sarveṣām eva lokānām 
    asau pūjyo yathā hariḥ
mahā-kula-prasūto ‘pi sarva-yajñeṣu dikṣitaḥ sahasra-śākhādhyāyī ca na guruḥ syād avaiṣṇavaḥ
The  guru  must be situated on the topmost platform of devotional service. There are three classes of devotees, and the  guru  must be accepted from the topmost class. The first-class devotee is the spiritual master for all kinds of people. It is said:  gurur nṛṇām . The word  nṛṇām  means “of all human beings.” The  guru  is not limited to a particular group. It is stated in the  Upadeśāmṛta  of Rūpa Gosvāmī that a  guru  is a  gosvāmī , a controller of the senses and the mind. Such a  guru  can accept disciples from all over the world.  Pṛthivīṁ sa śiṣyāt . This is the test of the  guru .
In India there are many so-called  gurus , and they are limited to a certain district or a province. They do not even travel about India, yet they declare themselves to be  jagad-guru ,  gurus  of the whole world. Such cheating  gurus  should not be accepted. Anyone can see how the bona fide spiritual master accepts disciples from all over the world. The  guru  is a qualified  brāhmaṇa ; therefore he knows Brahman and Parabrahman. He thus devotes his life for the service of Parabrahman. The bona fide spiritual master who accepts disciples from all over the world is also worshiped all over the world because of his qualities.  Lokānām asau pūjyo yathā hariḥ : the people of the world worship him just as they worship the Supreme Personality of Godhead. All these honors are offered to him because he strictly follows the brahminical principles and teaches these principles to his disciples. Such a person is called an  ācārya  because he knows the principles of devotional service, he behaves in that way himself, and he teaches his disciples to follow in his footsteps. Thus he is an  ācārya  or  jagad-guru . Even though a person is born in a