258
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam
[Canto 8, Ch. 24]
behalf of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the supreme spiritual master, he is not to be neglected as ordinary. It is therefore said,  ācāryam mām vijānīyāt : an  ācārya  who acts on behalf of the Supreme Personality of Godhead should be understood to be as good as the Supreme Lord Himself.
sākṣād dharitvena samasta-śāstrair uktas tathā bhāvyata eva sadbhiḥ kintu prabhor yaḥ priya eva tasya vande guroḥ śrī-caraṇāravindam
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Thākura has advised that the spiritual master acting on the Supreme Lord's behalf must be worshiped as being as good as the Supreme Lord, for he is the Lord's most confidential servant in broadcasting the Lord's message for the benefit of the conditioned souls involved in the material world.
TEXT 47
जनोऽबुधोऽयं निजकर्मबन्धनः
सुखेच्छया कर्म समीहतेऽसुखम् ।
यत्सेवया तां विधुनोत्यसन्मतिं
ग्रन्थिं स भिन्द्याद् धृदयं स नो गुरुः ॥४७॥
jano 'budho 'yam nija-karma-bandhanaḥ sukhecchayā karma samihate 'sukham yat-sevayā tām vidhunoty asan-matim granthim sa bhindyād dhṛdayam sa no guruḥ
janaḥ —the conditioned soul subjected to birth and death;  abudhaḥ —most foolish because of accepting the body as the self;  ayam —he;  nija-karma-bandhanaḥ —accepting different bodily forms as a result of his sinful activities;  sukha-icchayā —desiring to be happy within this material world;  karma —fruitive activities;  samihate —plans;  asukham —but it is for distress only;  yat-sevayā —by rendering service unto whom;  tām —the entanglement of  karma ;  vidhunoti —clears up;  asat-matim —