Adi-lila, Chapter 7 37

guidance. Srila Jiva Gosvami states how a non-brahmana can be turned into a
brahmana by the association of a pure devotee. Prabha visnave namah: Lord Visnu
is so powerful that He can do anything He likes. Therefore it is not difficult for
Visnu to change the body of a devotee who is under the guidance of a pure devotee
of the Lord.

TEXT 48

Sica fan Seri wa CeMcaa #4 |
SltIS-Srile =NoRa IS WP AAW Be

tanre sikhaila saba vaisnavera dharma
bhagavata-adi sastrera yata gudha marma

SYNONYMS

tafre—unto him (Sanatana Gosvami); sikhaifa—the Lord taught him; saba—all;
vaisnavera—of the devotees; dharma—regular activities; bhagavata—Srimad-
Bhagavatam; adi—beginning with; sastrera— of the revealed scriptures; yata— all;
gudha—confidential; marma—purpose.

TRANSLATION

On the basis of scriptures like Srimad-Bhagavatam which reveal these confidential
directions, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu instructed Sanatana Gosvami regarding all the
regular activities of a devotee.

PURPORT

In the parampara system, the instructions taken from the bona fide spiritual
master must also be based on revealed Vedic scriptures. One who is in the line of
disciplic succession cannot manufacture his own way of behavior. There are many
so-called followers of the Vaisnava cult in the line of Caitanya Mahaprabhu who do
not scrupulously follow the conclusions of the sastras, and therefore they are con-
sidered to be apa-sampradaya, which means ‘‘outside of the sampradaya.’’ Some of
these groups are known as gula, baula, karttabhaja, neda, daravesa, sani sahajiya,
sakhibheki, smarta, jata-gosani, ativadi, cudadhari and gauranga-nagari. \n order to
follow strictly the disciplic succession of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu, one should
not associate with these apa-sampradaya communities.

One who is not taught by a bona fide spiritual master cannot understand the
Vedic literature. To emphasize this point, Lord Krsna, while instructing Arjuna,
clearly said that it was because Arjuna was His devotee and confidential friend that
he could understand the mystery of Bhagavad-gita. \|t is to be concluded, therefore,
that one who wants to understand the mystery of revealed scriptures must approach
a bona fide spiritual master, hear from him very submissively and render service to
