270 Srimad-Bhagavatam [Canto 7, Ch. 5
Maharaja, should not have been surprised that Prahlada Maharaja dif-
fered from his way of life. Nonetheless, Hiranyakasipu was extremely
angry and wanted to rebuke his son for deriding his teacher or spiritual
master, who had been born in the brahmana family of the great dcarya
Sukracarya. The word sukra means “semen,” and dcdrya refers to a
teacher or guru. Hereditary gurus, or spiritual masters, have been ac-
cepted everywhere since time immemorial, but Prahlada Maharaja
declined to accept such a seminal guru or take instruction from him. An
actual guru is Srotriya, one who has heard or received perfect knowledge
through parampara, the disciplic succession. Therefore Prahlada
Maharaja did not recognize a seminal spiritual master. Such spiritual
masters are not at all interested in Visnu. Indeed, they are hopeful of
material success (bahir-artha-mdninah). The word bahih means
“external,” artha means “‘interest,” and mdnina means “taking very
seriously.” Generally speaking, practically everyone is unaware of the
spiritual world. The knowledge of the materialists is restricted within the
four-billion-mile limit of this material world, which is in the dark por-
tion of the creation; they do not know that beyond the material world is
the spiritual world. Unless one is a devotee of the Lord, one cannot
understand the existence of the spiritual world. Gurus, teachers, who are
simply interested in this material world are described in this verse as
andha, blind. Such blind men may lead many other blind followers with-
out true knowledge of material conditions, but they are not accepted by
devotees like Prahlada Maharaja. Such blind teachers, being interested in
the external, material world, are always bound by the strong ropes of
material nature.
TEXT 32
vat aferaraqeaaretit
CTUETATTTA «ATA |
mera TATaISAT
faftqeaarat at Toita avg 2A
naisam matis tavad urukramanghrim
sprsaty anarthapagamo yad-arthah
