58 THE SCIENCE OF SELF-REALIZATION
nothing. We must accept the guru just as Arjuna accepted his guru, Sri
Krsna Himself:
karpanya-dosopahata-svabhavah
prechami tvam dharma-sammidha-cetah
yac chreyah syan niscitam brihi tan me
Sisyas te "ham Saddhi mdm tvam prapannam
‘“Now I am confused about my duty and have lost all composure because
of weakness. In this condition I am asking You to tell me clearly what is
best for me. Now I am Your disciple and a soul surrendered unto You.
Please instruct me.’’ [Bhagavad-gitd 2.7]

This is the process for accepting a guru. The guru is Krsna’s represen-
tative, the former dcdryas’ representative. Krsna says that all dcdryas are
His representatives; therefore the guru should be offered the same

: respect one would offer to God. As Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura says
in his prayers to the spiritual master, yasya prasddad bhagavat-prasddah:
‘*By the mercy of the spiritual master, one receives the benediction of
Krsna.”’ Thus, if we surrender to the bona fide guru, we surrender to
God. God accepts our surrender to the guru.

In the Bhagavad-gita [18.66] Krsna instructs:

sarva-dharman parityajya
mam ekam Saranam vraja
aham tvam sarva-papebhyo
moksayisyami ma Sucah
‘*Abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto Me. I shall
deliver you from all sinful reaction. Do not fear.’’ Someone may argue,
‘‘Where is Krsna? I shall surrender to Him.”’ But no, the process is that
we first surrender to Krsna’s representative; then we surrender to Krsna.
Therefore it is said, sdksdd-dharitvena samasta-Ssdastraih: the guru is as
good as God. When we offer respects to the guru, we are offering respects
to God. Because we are trying to be God conscious, it is required that we
learn how to offer respects to God through God’s representative. In all
the sdstras the guru is described to be as good as God, but the guru never
says, ‘‘I am God.”’ The disciple’s duty is to offer respect to the guru just
as he offers respect to God, but the guru never thinks, ‘‘My disciples are
offering me the same respect they offer to God; therefore I have become
God.”’ As soon as he thinks like this, he becomes a dog instead of God.
