śravaṇāyāpi bahubhir yo na labhyaḥ
śṛṇvanto’pi bahavo yaṁ na vidyuḥ |
āścaryo vaktā kuśalo’sya labdhā
āścaryo jñātā kuśalānuśiṣṭaḥ ||
(Kaṭha Upaniṣad: 1.2.7)
“Of that
Which is not attainable by many even for hearing,
And which is not understandable even for many who hear,
An adept speaker and realizer is a rare marvel,
And a knower educated by an adept is [also] a rare marvel.”
puruṣasya ca saṁsthānaṁ svarūpaṁ vā parasya ca |
jñānaṁ ca naigamaṁ yat tad guru-śiṣya-prayojanam ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 3.7.38)
“[Please explain] The full existence of the puruṣa, the essential nature of the Supreme, and that knowledge related to the Nigamas which is the aim of the guru and disciple.”
kirāta-hūṇāndhra-pulinda-pulkaśā
ābhīra-śumbhā yavanāḥ khasādayaḥ |
ye’nye ca pāpā yad-apāśrayāśrayāḥ
śudhyanti tasmai prabhaviṣṇave namaḥ ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 2.4.18; cited in Hari-bhakti-vilāsa: 11.667)
“Kirātas, Hūṇas, Andhras, Pulindas, Pulkaśas, Ābhīras, Śumbhas, Yavanas, Khasas, and so forth, as well as other sinners, become purified upon taking shelter in those who have taken shelter in whom—obeisance unto him, the Almighty.”
yo hy adharmeṇa vibrūyād gṛhṇīyād vāpy adharmataḥ |
hīyetāṁ tāv ubhau kṣipraṁ syātāṁ vā vairiṇāv ubhau ||
(Mahābhārata: 9.50.46)
“One who shall teach undharmicly [i.e., without accepting the student as a disciple] and one who shall acquire [knowledge] undharmicly [i.e., without acceptance of discipleship to the teacher]—both shall quickly abandon one another or become enemies of one another.”
nṛpo na hari-sevitā vyaya-kṛtī na hary-arpakaḥ
kavir na hari-varṇakaḥ śrita-gurur na hary-āśritaḥ |
guṇī na hari-tatparaḥ sarala-dhīr na kṛṣṇāśrayaḥ
sa na vraja-ramānugaḥ sva-hṛdi sapta-śalyāni me ||
(Gopāla-campū: 1.33.178)
“A king who is not a servant of Hari,
A spender who is not an offerer to Hari,
A poet who is not a narrator of Hari,
A disciple of a guru who is not sheltered in Hari,
A virtuous person who is not devoted to Hari,
A simple [alt., sincere, unpretentious] person who is not sheltered in Hari,
And he [i.e., one who is sheltered in Hari] who is not a follower of the beautiful ladies of Vraja—
[These seven types of persons] Are seven spears in my own heart.”
varaṁ na rājyaṁ na kurāja-rājyaṁ
varaṁ na mitraṁ na kumitra-mitram |
varaṁ na śiṣyo na kuśiṣya-śiṣyo
varaṁ na dārā na kudāra-dāraḥ ||
(Cāṇakya-nīti-darpaṇa: 6.13)
“Better no kingdom than a kingdom with a bad king. Better no friend than a friend who is a bad friend. Better no disciple than a disciple who is a bad disciple. Better no wife than a wife who is a bad wife.”
paṭhakāḥ pāṭhakāś caiva ye cānye śāstra-cintakāḥ |
sarve vyasanino mūrkhā yaḥ kriyāvān sa paṇḍitaḥ ||
(Mahābhārata: 3.313.110)
“All the students, teachers, and others who consider śāstra but are addicted to vices are fools. One who engages in practice [of all that is taught in śāstra] is wise.”
yo vakti nyāya-rahitam anyāyena śṛṇoti yaḥ |
tāv ubhau narakaṁ ghoraṁ vrajataḥ kālam akṣayam ||
(Nārada Pañcarātra; cited in Hari-bhakti-vilāsa: 1.101; Bhakti Sandarbha: 238)
“Both one who speaks devoid of rule [i.e., instructs things that are contrary to the intent of the śāstra] and one who listens devoid of rule [i.e., follows things that are contrary to the intent of the śāstra] proceed to a dark hell for unlimited time.”
tatra bhāgavatān dharmān śikṣed gurv-ātma-daivataḥ |
amāyayānuvṛttyā yais tuṣyed ātmātmado hariḥ ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 11.3.22; cited in Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu: 1.2.98; Bhakti Sandarbha: 206)
“One for whom the guru is the Self (ātmā) and the Devatā should, through unaffected adherence, learn from him [viz., the guru] Bhāgavata-dharmas by which Hari, he who is the Self and the Bestower of himself, can be pleased.”
yathā siddha-rasa-sparśāt tāmraṁ bhavati kāñcanam |
sannidhānād guror evaṁ śiṣyo viṣṇumayo bhavet ||
(Āgama-śāstra; cited in Bhakti Sandarbha: 237)
“As copper turns into gold at the touch of quicksilver, so a disciple becomes absorbed in [devotion to] Viṣṇu as a result of being in the company of guru.”
