44 Sri Caitanya-caritamrcta

na martya-buddhydsiiyeta
sarva-devamayo guruh

SYNONYMS

adcaryam—the spiritual master; mam—Myself; vijdniydt—one should know; na
avamanyeta—one should never disrespect; karhicit—at any time; na—never; martya-
buddhyd—with the idea of his being an ordinary man; asiiyeta—one should be envious;
sarva-deva—of all demigods; mayah—representative; guruh—the spiritual master.

TRANSLATION

“One should know the acarya as Myself and never disrespect him in any way. One
should not envy him, thinking him an ordinary man, for he is the representative of
all the demigods.”’

PURPORT

This is a verse from Srimad-Bhdagavatam (11.17.27) spoken by Lord Krgna when
He was questioned by Uddhava regarding the four social and spiritual orders of
society. He was specifically instructing how a brahmacdri should behave under the
care of a spiritual master. A spiritual master is not an enjoyer of facilities offered
by his disciples. He is like a parent. Without the attentive service of his parents,
a child cannot grow to manhood; similarly, without the care of the spiritual master
one cannot rise to the plane of transcendental service.

The spiritual master is also called dcarya, or a transcendental professor of spiritual
science. The Manu-samhitd (2.140) explains the duties of an dcdrya, describing that
a bona fide spiritual master accepts charge of disciples, teaches them the Vedic
knowledge with all its intricacies, and gives them their second birth. The ceremony
performed to initiate a disciple into the study of spiritual science is called upaniti,
or the function that brings one nearer to the spiritual master. One who cannot be
brought nearer to a spiritual master cannot have a sacred thread, and thus he is
indicated to be a Sidra. The sacred thread on the body of a brahmana, ksatriya or
vaisya is a symbol of initiation by the spiritual master; it is worth nothing if worn
merely to boast of high parentage. The duty of the spiritual master is to initiate a
disciple with the sacred thread ceremony, and after this sarmskdra, or purificatory
process, the spiritual master actually begins to teach the disciple about the Vedas.
A person born a sadra is not barred from such spiritual initiation, provided he is
approved by the spiritual master, who is duly authorized to award a disciple the
right to be a brdhmana if he finds him perfectly qualified. In the Vdyu Purana an
dcarya is defined as one who knows the import of all Vedic literature, explains the
purpose of the Vedas, abides by their rules and regulations, and teaches his disciples
to act in the same way.

Only out of His immense compassion does the Personality of Godhead reveal
Himself as the spiritual master. Therefore in the dealings of an dcdrya there are no
activities but those of transcendental loving service to the Lord. He is the Supreme
Personality of Servitor Godhead. It is worthwhile to take shelter of such a steady
