180 Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead

spiritual master is he who initiates us into transcendental knowledge, and
he is to be worshiped as much as I am. The spiritual master may be more *
than one. The spiritual master who instructs the disciples about spiritual
matters is called siksa-guru, and the spiritual master who initiates the
disciple is called diksa-guru. Both of them are My representatives. There
may be many spiritual masters who instruct, but the initiator spiritual
master is one. A human being who takes advantage of these spiritual
masters and, receiving proper knowledge from them, crosses the ocean of
material existence, is to be understood as having properly utilized his
human form of life. He has practical knowledge that the ultimate interest
of life, which is to be gained only in this human form, is to achieve spiritual
perfection and thus be transferred back home, back to Godhead.

“My dear friend, I am Paramatma, the Supersoul present in everyone’s
heart, and it is My direct order that human society must follow the prin-
ciples of varna and asrama. As I have stated in the Bhagavad-gita, the
human society should be divided, according to quality and action, into
four varnas. Similarly, everyone should divide his life into four parts. One
should utilize the first part of life in becoming a bona fide student,
receiving adequate knowledge and keeping oneself in the vow of brahma-
carya, so that one may completely devote his life for the service of the
spiritual master without indulging in sense gratification. A brahmacart
is meant to lead a life of austerities and penance. The householder is
meant to live a regulated life of sense gratification, but no one should
remain a householder for the third stage of life. In that stage, one has to
return to the austerities and penances formerly practiced in brahmacart
life and thus relieve himself of the attachment to household life. After
being relieved of his attachments to the materialistic way of life, one may
accept the order of sannyasa.

‘As the Supersoul of the living entities, sitting in everyone’s heart, I
observe everyone’s activity in every stage and order of life. Regardless of
which stage one is in, when I see that one is engaged seriously and sincerely
in discharging the duties ordered by the spiritual master, and is thus
dedicating his life to the service of the spiritual master, that person be-
comes most dear to Me. As far as the life of brahmacarya is concerned, if
one can continue the life of a brahmacari under the direction of a spiritual
master, that is extremely good; but if in brahmacari life one feels sex
impulses, then he should take leave of his spiritual master, satisfying him
according to the guru’s desire. According to the Vedic system, a gift is
offered to the spiritual master, which is called guru-daksina. Then the
disciple should take to householder life and accept a wife according to
religious rites.”
