jñānī guruś ca balavān bhavābdheḥ śiṣyam uddharet
guruḥ svayam asiddhaś ca durbalaḥ katham uddharet
(Nārada Pañcarātra 1.10.19)
“A guru, who is knowledgable and strong, delivers a disciple from the ocean of material existence. How can a guru who is not realized (asiddha) and weak deliver [a disciple]?”
śṛṇuṣvāvahito rājann api guhyaṁ vadāmi te |
brūyuḥ snigdhasya śiṣyasya guravo guhyam apy uta ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 10.13.3)
[Śukadeva Gosvāmī to Parīkṣit Mahārāja:] “O King, listen attentively. Although it [i.e., the answer to your question] is a secret, I will tell you [this], for gurus may indeed speak even secrets before a devout disciple.”
samānī va ākūtiḥ samānā hṛdayāni vaḥ |
samānam astu vo mano yathā vaḥ susahāsati ||
(Ṛg Veda: 10.191.4)
“May your intention be united, your hearts united, and your minds united, so that you have excellent companionship.”
oṁ saha nāv avatu |
saha nau bhunaktu |
saha vīryaṁ karavāvahai |
tejasvi nāv adhītam astu mā vidviṣāvahai |
oṁ śāntiḥ śāntiḥ śāntiḥ ||
(Taittirīya Upaniṣad: Brahmānanda-vallī, 1)
“Om. May we together be protected,
May we together be nourished.
May we work together with vigor.
May our study be illuminating.
May we not be inimical.
Om. Peace. Peace. Peace.”
ācāryāt pādam ādatte pādaṁ śiṣyaḥ svamedhayā |
pādaṁ sabrahmacāribhyaḥ pādam kāla-krameṇa ca ||
(Āpastamba-dharma-sūtra)
“A student acquires one-fourth from the ācārya, one-fourth by his own intellect, one-fourth from fellow students, and one-fourth in the course of time.”
kālena pādaṁ labhate tathārthaṁ
tataś ca pādaṁ guru-yogataś ca |
utsāha-yogena ca pādam ṛcchec
chāstreṇa ca pādaṁ ca tato’bhiyāti ||
(Mahābhārata: Udyoga-parva, 44.16)
“A student acquires one-fourth in time, one-fourth by association with the guru, one-fourth by his own enthusiasm and endeavor, and one-fourth by discussion.”
caturbhiś ca prakāraiḥ vidyopayuktā bhavati, āgama-kālena svādhyāya-kālena pravacana-kālena vyavahāra-kāleneti |
(Mahābhāṣya: 1.1.1)
“Knowledge is acquired in four ways: at the time of receiving [it from an ācārya], at the time of personally studying [it, i.e., reviewing it, reflecting on it, reciting it, etc.], at the time of speaking [i.e., teaching it to others], and at the time of applying [it, i.e., performing sacrifices, navigating challenges, etc.].”
śravaṇāyāpi bahubhir yo na labhyaḥ
śṛṇvanto’pi bahavo yaṁ na vidyuḥ |
āścaryo’sya vaktā kuśalo’sya labdhā
āścaryo jñātā kuśalānuśiṣṭaḥ ||
(Kaṭha Upaniṣad: 1.2.7)
“He whom many are not even able to hear about and whom even many who hear about do not understand—rare is the qualified teacher of him, and rare is the qualified disciple who comes to know and realize him.”
ṛṣer bhagavato bhūtvā śiṣyo’dhītya bahūni ca |
setihāsa-purāṇāni dharma-śāstrāṇi sarvaśaḥ ||
adāntasyāvinītasya vṛthā paṇḍita-māninaḥ |
na guṇāya bhavanti sma naṭasyevājitātmanaḥ ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 10.78.25–26)
“He [i.e., Romaharṣaṇa] became a disciple of the illustrious ṛṣi [i.e., the ṛṣi who is an avatāra of Bhagavān himself, Vyāsadeva] and studied numerous dharma-śāstras along with the Itihāsas and Purāṇas in full, but these [studies], like those of an actor, do not lead to [the development of] virtue for one who is unregulated, immodest, of vain conceit that one is a paṇḍita, and of uncontrolled mind [and rather function only as a means of livelihood].”
itthaṁ guror labdha-mantro guru-bhakti-parāyaṇaḥ |
sevamāno guruṁ nityaṁ tat-kṛpāṁ bhāvayet sudhīḥ ||
satāṁ dharmāṁs tataḥ śikṣet prapannānāṁ viśeṣataḥ |
sveṣṭa-deva-dhiyā nityaṁ vaiṣṇavān paritoṣayet ||
(Sanat-kumāra-saṁhitā: 110–111)
“A wise person who has thus received a mantra from a guru, is engaged in bhakti to the guru, and is regularly serving the guru should meditate on his grace. He should learn the dharmas of the sādhus, in particular, those of the surrendered, and with awareness of his own Iṣṭa-deva [i.e., with awareness of the presence of, and with the intent to please, his Iṣṭa-devata], he should always satisfy the Vaiṣṇavas.”
