nāham ijyā-prajātibhyāṁ tapasopaśamena vā |
tuṣyeyaṁ sarva-bhūtātmā guru-śuśrūṣayā yathā ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 10.80.34)
“I [Bhagavān], the Self of all beings, shall not be satisfied by sacrifice, higher birth [alt., procreation], austerity, or equilibrium as [I am] by service to the guru.”
te vai vidanty atitaranti ca deva-māyāṁ
strī-śūdra-hūṇa-śabarā api pāpa-jīvāḥ |
yady adbhuta-krama-parāyaṇa-śīla-śikṣās
tiryag-janā api kim u śruta-dhāraṇā ye ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 2.7.46; cited in Bhakti Sandarbha: 115)
“If they become educated about the character of those whose ultimate shelter is he of astonishing step, [then] women, śūdras, Hūṇas, and Śabaras—even sinful living beings—and even animals, can certainly know and cross beyond Deva’s māyā, so how much more so can those who grasp what they have heard?”
etat sarvaṁ gurau bhaktyā puruṣo hy añjasā jayet ||
yasya sākṣād bhagavati jñāna-dīpa-prade gurau |
martyāsad-dhīḥ śrutaṁ tasya sarvaṁ kuñjara-śaucavat ||
eṣa vai bhagavān sākṣāt pradhāna-puruṣeśvaraḥ |
yogeśvarair vimṛgyāṅghrir loko yaṁ manyate naram ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 7.15.25–27)
“A person certainly can quickly conquer all of these by means of bhakti to the guru. All the hearing of one who has the misconception of a mortal in relation to the guru, who is the giver of the lamp of knowledge and Bhagavān in person, is like the bathing of an elephant. He whom a [worldly] person considers [to be merely] a [ordinary] human being is verily Bhagavān in person, the Īśvara of pradhāna and the puruṣa [i.e., of māyā and the jīvas], he whose feet are sought by masters of yoga.”
sa vai priyatamaś cātmā yato na bhayam aṇv api |
iti veda sa vai vidvān yo vidvān sa gurur hariḥ ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 4.29.51; cited in Bhakti Sandarbha: 202)
“He [viz., Hari] is indeed the dearmost Self (Ātmā), [he] on account of whom not even a trace of fear arises. One who understands this is verily knowledgeable, and one who is knowledgeable is a guru and Hari.”
prerakaḥ sūcakaś caiva vācako darśakas tathā |
śikṣako bodhakaś caiva ṣaḍ ete guravaḥ smṛtāḥ ||
(Unknown source)
“An inspirer, an indicator, an informer, a revealer, an educator, and an enlightener [alt., awakener]—these six are regarded as gurus.”
prabho! bhagavan! kṛpā-pārāvāra! ghora-saṁsāra-pravāha-prāpita-kleśa-cakra-nakra-vyūha-carvyamāṇaṁ māṁ vilokya, kāruṇyodyota-drava-ceto-navanīto’khila-lokātīto bhagavan śrī-guru-rūpa-dhārī mad-anādy-avidyā-vidāri-sva-darśanena sudarśanenaiva tan nirbhidya, tad-daṁṣṭrā-taṭād evonmocya, nija-caraṇa-kamala-yugala-dāsī-cikīrṣayā sva-mantra-varṇa-vīthīṁ mat-karṇa-vīthīṁ praveśya, nirvyathīkṛtya, muhur muhur api sva-guṇa-nāma-śravaṇa-kīrtana-smaraṇādibhir māṁ yad aśūśudhan nija-bhaktair api saṅgamitaiḥ sva-sevām apy abūbudhat, tad api durmedho’ham adhamatamo divasam ekam api prabhuṁ na paryacaraṁ, kadarya-caryas tad ayaṁ jano daṇḍayitum evārhaḥ, pratyutaitāvad darśana-mādhurīṁ pāyitaḥ |
(Mādhurya-kādambinī: 8.9)
“O Master! O Bhagavān! O Ocean of grace! Seeing me being chewed by the crocodile bask of the cycle of afflictions engendered by the frightful course of saṁsāra, [you,] Bhagavān, who are beyond all planes [in saṁsāra] and the butter of whose heart becomes melted by the radiance of [your] compassion, have assumed the form of śrī-guru, cut that [bask of crocodiles] asunder with the sudarśana [cakra] of your own darśana rending of my beginningless ignorance (avidyā), freed me from their jaws, caused the syllables of your mantra to enter the path of my ears out of desire to engage me [in service] as a maidservant of your two lotus feet, freed me from all pain, purified me by means of repeated hearing, chanting, remembering, and so forth of your names and qualities, and enlightened me about your own service by means of the association of your own bhaktas, yet still I of dull wit, the most fallen, have not served my Master [i.e., you, O Bhagavān] for even one day. Thus, this ill-behaved person [i.e., my most-fallen self] is certainly fit to be punished. Despite all this [however] I have been given the chance to drink the sweetness of your darśana.”
svāmini guṇāntarajñe guṇavati bhṛtye’nuvartini kalaye |
suhṛdi nirantara-citte nivedya duḥkhaṁ sukhī bhavati ||
(Pañcatantra: Mitra-bheda, 110)
“By expressing one’s troubles to a master cognizant of one’s special qualities, a qualified servant, a devoted wife, or a faithful-hearted [alt., steady-minded] friend, one becomes content [i.e., one feels relief from one’s troubles].”
cintāmaṇir jayati somagirir gurur me
śikṣā-guruś ca bhagavān śikhi-piñcha-mauliḥ |
yat-pāda-kalpa-taru-pallava-śekhareṣu
līlā-svayaṁvara-rasaṁ labhate jayaśrīḥ ||
(Kṛṣṇa-karṇāmṛtam: 1; cited in Caitanya-caritāmṛta: 1.1.57)
“My guru,
The thought-jewel Somagiri,
Triumphs,
As does my instructing guru,
Bhagavān,
Whose crest is a peacock feather
And at the tips of the shoots of the desire-tree of whose feet
Jayaśrī playfully tastes the rasa of svayaṁvara.”
tam eva śaraṇaṁ gaccha sarva-bhāvena bhārata |
tat-prasādāt parāṁ śāntiṁ sthānaṁ prāpsyasi śāśvatam ||
(Śrīmad Bhagavad-gītā: 18.62)
“Take shelter in him alone with the entirety of your being, O Bhārata. By his grace, you shall attain the supreme peace and the eternal abode.”
teṣām evānukampārtham aham ajñānajaṁ tamaḥ |
nāśayāmy ātma-bhāva-stho jñāna-dīpena bhāsvatā ||
(Śrīmad Bhagavad-gītā: 10.11)
“For the sake of favoring them specifically, I, situated within the cognition of the mind, cause the destruction of the darkness born of ignorance with the shining lamp of knowledge.”
