atithir yasya tuṣṭo hi tasya tuṣṭo hariḥ svayam |
harau tuṣṭe gurus tuṣṭo gurau tuṣṭe jagat-trayam ||
(Nārada Pañcarātra 1.6.40)
“Hari himself is satisfied with one with whom a guest is satisfied. When Hari is satisfied, then guru is satisfied, and when guru is satisfied, then the three worlds are satisfied.”
nāsti vedāt paraṁ śāstraṁ nāsti mātuḥ paro guruḥ |
nāsti dānāt paraṁ mitram iha loke paratra ca ||
(Unknown Source)
“There is no greater śāstra than the Veda, no greater guru than one’s mother, and no greater giving than friendship in this world or the next.”
gurur na sa syāt svajano na sa syāt
pitā na sa syāj jananī na sā syāt |
daivaṁ na tat syān na patiś ca sa syān
na mocayed yaḥ samupeta-mṛtyum ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 5.5.18)
“One who cannot save you [i.e., a dependent] from impending death [i.e., saṁsāra] should not be a guru, should not be a relative, should not be a father, should not be a mother, should not be a devatā, and should not be a husband.”
asaṅkalpāj jayet kāmaṁ krodhaṁ kāma-vivarjanāt |
arthānarthekṣayā lobhaṁ bhayaṁ tattvāvamarśanāt ||
ānvīkṣikyā śoka-mohau dambhaṁ mahad-upāsayā |
yogāntarāyān maunena hiṁsāṁ kāmādy-anīhayā ||
kṛpayā bhūtajaṁ duḥkhaṁ daivaṁ jahyāt samādhinā |
ātmajaṁ yoga-vīryeṇa nidrāṁ sattva-niṣevayā ||
rajas tamaś ca sattvena sattvaṁ copaśamena ca |
etat sarvaṁ gurau bhaktyā puruṣo hy añjasā jayet ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavata: 7.15.22–25)
“One can conquer desire (kāma) with negative resolve [e.g., resolutions such as ‘this is not for my enjoyment’ in regard to objects of desire], anger with rejection of desire [for violence], greed with vision of the detriment (anartha) [i.e., the meaninglessness, vice, etc.] within desired ends (arthas), fear with consideration of truth, lamentation and delusion with rational examination [i.e., discrimination between the self and non-self], pride with service to great persons, obstacles in yoga with silence, violence with indifference to desire and so forth. One can overcome suffering caused by other beings with compassion [i.e., actions performed for their benefit], suffering caused by destiny [i.e., foreboding] with meditation [on Bhagavān], suffering caused by the self [i.e., the body] with the strength of yoga [e.g., prāṇayāma, etc.], sleep with a sattvic diet, rajas [i.e., passion] and tamas [i.e., ignorance] with sattva [i.e., goodness], and sattva with composure [i.e., indifference towards even sattvic action]. A person can quickly conquer all of these [however] by means of bhakti to the guru.”
kaccid etac chrutaṁ pārtha tvayaikāgreṇa cetasā |
kaccid ajñāna-saṁmohaḥ pranaṣṭas te dhanaṁjaya ||
(Bhagavad-gītā: 18.72)
“O Pārtha, has this [i.e., the Gītā] been heard by you with a one-pointed mind? O Dhanañjaya, has your misunderstanding born of ignorance been fully dispelled?”
yeṣāṁ gurau na japye vā viṣṇau ca paramātmani |
nāsti bhaktiḥ sadā teṣāṁ vacanaṁ parivarjayet ||
(Vaiṣṇava Tantra; cited in Hari-bhakti-vilāsa: 12.418)
“Always completely reject the statements of those who do not have bhakti to guru, a mantra [lit., “that which is to be chanted”], or the Paramātmā Viṣṇu.”
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.”
