The Real Goal of Life 27

yasyaprasadan na gatih kuto 'pi

“Without the grace of the spiritual master one cannot make
any advancement.” If you displease him, then you are
nowhere. Therefore we worship the guru.

sdksad-dharitvena samasta-sastrair
uktas tatha bhavyata eva sadbhih

kintu prabhor yah priya eva tasya
vande guroh Sri-carandravindam

[The spiritual master is to be honored as much as the
Supreme Lord because of his being the most confidential
servitor of the Lord. This is acknowledged by all revealed
scriptures and is followed by all authorities. Therefore I
offer my respectful obeisances unto the lotus feet of such a
spiritual master, who is a bona fide representative of Lord
Krsna.”] The guru should be accepted as God. That is the
injunction of all sastra.

BOB: The guru should be accepted as a representative of
God?

SRILA PRABHUPADA: Yes, the guru is God’s representative.
The guru is the external manifestation of Krsna.

BOB: But different from the incarnations of Krsna that
come?

SRILA PRABHUPADA: Yes.

BOB: In what way is the external manifestation of the guru
different from the external manifestation of, let us say,
Krsna or Caitanya when They come to earth?

SRILA PRABHUPADA: The guru is the representative of
Krsna. So there are symptoms of who is a guru. The general
symptoms are described in the Vedas.
