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Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta
[Madhya-līlā, Ch. 24]
by a bona fide spiritual master and is expert in worshiping the Deity, chanting  mantras  correctly, performing sacrifices, offering prayers to the Lord, and performing  saṅkīrtana . He knows how to serve the Supreme Personality of Godhead and how to respect a Vaiṣṇava. When one has attained the topmost position of  mahā-bhāgavata , he is to be accepted as a  guru  and worshiped exactly like Hari, the Personality of Godhead. Only such a person is eligible to occupy the post of a  guru . However, if one is highly qualified but is not a Vaiṣṇava, he cannot be accepted as a  guru . One cannot be a  brāhmaṇa  unless one is a Vaiṣṇava. If one is a Vaiṣṇava, he is already a  brāhmaṇa . If a  guru  is completely qualified as a Vaiṣṇava, he must be accepted as a  brāhmaṇa  even if he is not born in a  brāhmaṇa  family. The caste system method of distinguishing a  brāhmaṇa  by birth is not acceptable when applied to a bona fide spiritual master. A spiritual master is a qualified  brāhmaṇa  and  ācārya . If one is not a qualified  brāhmaṇa , he is not expert in studying Vedic literatures.  Nānā-śāstra-vicāraṇaika-nipuṇau . Every Vaiṣṇava is a spiritual master, and a spiritual master is automatically expert in brahminical behavior. He also understands the Vedic  śāstras .
Similarly, a disciple's qualifications must be observed by the spiritual master before he is accepted as a disciple. In our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, the requirement is that one must be prepared to give up the four pillars of sinful life—illicit sex, meat-eating, intoxication and gambling. In Western countries especially, we first observe whether a potential disciple is prepared to follow the regulative principles. Then he is given the name of a Vaiṣṇava servant and initiated to chant the Hare Kṛṣṇa  mahā-mantra , at least sixteen rounds daily. In this way the disciple renders devotional service under the guidance of the spiritual master or his representative for at least six months to a year. He is then recommended for a second initiation, during which a sacred thread is offered and the disciple is accepted as a bona fide  brāhmaṇa . Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Thākura introduced the system of giving the sacred thread to a bona fide Vaiṣṇava, and we are also following in his footsteps. The qualifications of a bona fide disciple are described in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (11.10.6) as follows:
amānya-matsaro dakṣo nirmamo dṛḍha-sauhṛdaḥ asatvaro 'rtha-jijñāsur anasūyur amogha-vāk
The disciple must have the following qualifications. He must give up interest in the material bodily conception. He must give up material lust, anger, greed, illusion, madness and envy. He should be interested only in understanding the science of God, and he should be ready to consider all points in this matter. He should no longer think, “I am this body,” or, “This thing belongs to me.” One must love the spiritual master with unflinching faith, and one must be very steady and