Guru

sākṣād dharitvena samasta-śāstrair

sākṣād dharitvena samasta-śāstrair
uktas tathā bhāvyata eva sadbhiḥ |
kintu prabhor yaḥ priya eva tasya
vande guroḥ śrī-charaṇāravindam ||
(Viśvanātha Cakravartīpāda’s Gurudevāṣṭakam: 7)

“I offer obeisance unto the beautiful lotus feet of guru, who is described by all the śāstras as being Hari himself and is indeed considered so by the sādhus [on account of his being most dear to Hari], yet [by nature] is really a dear one of Prabhu [i.e., a bhakta dear to Hari and not a manifestation of Hari who is equal to Hari in all respects].”

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naivopayanty apacitiṁ kavayas taveśa

naivopayanty apacitiṁ kavayas taveśa
brahmāyuṣāpi kṛtam ṛddha-mudaḥ smarantaḥ |
yo’ntar bahis tanu-bhṛtām aśubhaṁ vidhunvann
ācārya-caittya-vapuṣā sva-gatiṁ vyanakti ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 11.29.6)

“[Uddhava to Kṛṣṇa:] O Lord, abounding with joy in remembering the feats [i.e., the unconditional favor] of you who with your external form as the ācārya and internal [form] situated in the citta dispel inauspiciousness and manifest your own shelter for embodied beings, the wise cannot proffer remuneration [i.e., clear their debt to you] even within the life-span of Brahmā [i.e., they can never sufficiently reciprocate with you even by serving you til the end of time].”

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tasmād guruṁ prapadyeta jijñāsuḥ śreya uttamam

tasmād guruṁ prapadyeta jijñāsuḥ śreya uttamam
śābde pare ca niṣṇātaṁ brahmaṇy upaśamāśrayam
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 11.3.21; cited in Hari-bhakti-vilāsa: 1.32; Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu: 1.2.97; Bhakti Sandarbha: 202, 238)

“Therefore [i.e., because there is no lasting fulfillment in saṁsāra and bhakti is the only means of crossing over saṁsāra], one who wishes to know the highest good should take shelter in a guru who is adept in śabda-brahman and Parabrahman, and is an abode of tranquility.”

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jñānī guruś ca balavān bhavābdheḥ śiṣyam uddharet

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]?”

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yadā parānanda-guro bhavat-pade

yadā parānanda-guro bhavat-pade
padaṁ mano me bhagaval labheta |
tadā nirastākhila-sādhana-śramaḥ
śrayeya saukhyaṁ bhavataḥ kṛpātaḥ ||
(Excerpted from the Bhāvārtha-dīpikā on Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 10.87.33)

“O illustrious, supremely blissful guru, when my mind is able to attain a place at your feet, then all the labor of sādhana will be dispelled and I will be able to attain [complete] happiness by your grace.”

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vijita-hṛṣīka-vāyubhir adānta-manas turagaṁ

vijita-hṛṣīka-vāyubhir adānta-manas turagaṁ
ya iha yatanti yantum atilolam upāya-khidaḥ |
vyasana-śatānvitāḥ samavahāya guroś caraṇaṁ
vaṇija ivāja santy akṛta-karṇadharā jaladhau ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 10.87.33)

“O Unborn One [i.e., Bhagavān], those here [i.e., in the ocean of saṁsāra] who abandon the feet of guru and endeavor to subdue the extremely volatile stallion of the untamed mind [even] with conquered senses and vital airs become afflicted by the method [i.e., by the very method, whatever it may be, they take up to try to tame the mind] and beset with hundreds of adversities, just as merchants who have not procured a helmsman are [so afflicted] at sea.”

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nṛ-deham ādyaṁ sulabhaṁ sudurlabhaṁ

nṛ-deham ādyaṁ sulabhaṁ sudurlabhaṁ
plavaṁ sukalpaṁ guru-karṇa-dhāram |
mayānukūlena nabhasvateritaṁ
pumān bhavābdhiṁ na taret sa ātma-hā ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 11.20.17)

[Kṛṣṇa to Uddhava:] “Having attained the well-constructed boat of this human body, which is fundamental [to all attainments], easily yet rarely attained, captained by guru, and propelled by the wind of my favor, a person who shall not cross the ocean of material existence is a self-destroyer.”

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yasya prasādād bhagavat-prasādo

yasya prasādād bhagavat-prasādo
yasyāprasādān na gatiḥ kuto’pi |
dhyāyaṁ stuvaṁs tasya yaśas tri-sandhyaṁ
vande guroḥ śrī-caraṇāravindam ||
(Viśvanātha Cakravartīpāda’s Gurudevāṣṭakam: 8)

“I offer obeisance unto the beautiful lotus feet of guru, meditating upon and praising his glory at the three junctions of the day. By his grace, one gains Bhagavān’s grace, and by his dissatisfaction, one has no shelter anywhere.”

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atithir yasya tuṣṭo hi tasya tuṣṭo hariḥ svayam

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.”

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