vande gurūn īśa-bhaktān īśam īśāvatārakān |
tat-prakāśāṁś ca tac-chaktīḥ kṛṣṇa-caitanya-saṁjñakam ||
(Caitanya-caritāmṛta: 1.1.1)
“I offer obeisance unto my gurus, the Lord’s bhaktas, the Lord’s avatāras, the Lord’s manifestations, the Lord’s śaktis, and the Lord [himself], known as Kṛṣṇa Caitanya.”
nirviṇṇasya viraktasya puruṣasyokta-vedinaḥ |
manas tyajati daurātmyaṁ cintitasyānucintayā ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 11.20.23)
“The mind of a person who is disinterested, detached, cognizant of what has been said, and thoughtful, by means of contemplation gives up ill-naturedness.”
mantre tīrthe dvije deve daivajñe bheṣaje gurau |
yādṛśī bhāvanā yasya siddhir bhavati tādṛśī ||
(Skanda Purāṇga: 5.3.227.38–9; cited in Pañcatantra: 5.96)
“In regard to a mantra, tīrtha, brāhmaṇa, deva, astrologer, medicine, or guru—as is one’s attitude (bhāvanā), so is one’s attainment.”
sa kiṁ guruḥ sa kiṁ tātaḥ sa kiṁ putra sa kiṁ sakhā |
sa kiṁ rājā sa kiṁ bandhur na dadyād yo harau matim ||
(Garga-saṁhitā: 10.62.11)
“One who shall not focus his mind on Hari—is he a guru? Is he a father? Is he a son? Is he a friend? Is he a king? Is he a relative?”
guru-pādāśrayas tasmāt kṛṣṇa-dīkṣādi-śikṣaṇam |
viśrambheṇa guroḥ sevā sādhu-vartmānuvartanam || …
trayāṁ pradhānam evoktaṁ guru-pādāśrayādikam |
(Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu: 1.2.74, 83)
“(1) [Taking] Shelter at the feet of guru; (2) [receiving] instruction [from guru] beginning with Kṛṣṇa-mantra-dīkṣā; (3) serving guru with confidence; (4) following the path of the sādhus. … The three [practices] beginning with [taking] shelter at the feet of guru [amongst the sixty-four listed] are said to be principal.”
kasmai yena vibhāsito’yam atulo jñāna-pradīpaḥ purā
tad-rūpeṇa ca nāradāya munaye kṛṣṇāya tad-rūpiṇā |
yogīndrāya tad-ātmanātha bhagavad-rātāya kāruṇyatas
tac chuddhaṁ vimalaṁ viśokam amṛtaṁ satyaṁ paraṁ dhīmahi ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 12.13.19)
“Let us meditate on the pure, bright, sorrowless, immortal, eternal, Supreme Being, by whom this incomparable lamp of knowledge [i.e., Śrīmad Bhāgavatam] was previously [i.e., at the beginning of the kalpa] out of compassion manifested to Brahmā, and [by whom] in that form [i.e., in the form of Brahmā, it was manifested] to Nārada, in that form [i.e., in the form of Nārada] to the sage Kṛṣṇa [i.e., Kṛṣṇa Dvaipāyana Vyāsa], in that form to the king of the yogīs [i.e., Śukadeva Gosvāmī], and then in that form [i.e., the form of Śukadeva] to he who was protected by Bhagavān [i.e., Parīkṣit Mahārāja].”
yat-sevayāgner iva rudra-rodanaṁ
pumān vijahyān malam ātmanas tamaḥ |
bhajeta varṇaṁ nijam eṣa so’vyayo
bhūyāt sa īśaḥ paramo guror guruḥ ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 8.24.48)
[Satyavrata Rāja to Matsya Avatāra:] “He by whose service a living being can give up the impurity of darkness [i.e., ignorance] within itself [i.e., within the mind] and become situated in its own form, just like gold [lit. ‘Rudra’s tears,’ can do so] on account of fire—may he, the imperishable Īśa, be our guru, as he is the superior of [even] the guru.”
jano’budho’yaṁ nija-karma-bandhanaḥ
sukhecchayā karma samīhate’sukham |
yat-sevayā tāṁ vidhunoty asan-matiṁ
granthiṁ sa bhindyād dhṛdayaṁ sa no guruḥ ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 8.24.47)
[Satyavrata Rāja to Matsya Avatāra:] “These unknowing persons bound by their own karma, out of desire for satisfaction, perform karma which is [ultimately] dissatisfying; you are he who dispels this depraved mentality [i.e., those persons’ desires for satisfaction within saṁsāra] with his service [i.e., through service to yourself], he who can cut the knot in the heart [i.e., ignorance], and [thus] our guru.”
bhayaṁ dvitīyābhiniveśataḥ syād
īśād apetasya viparyayo’smṛtiḥ |
tan-māyayāto budha ābhajet taṁ
bhaktyaikayeśaṁ guru-devatātmā ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 11.2.37; cited in Tattva Sandarbha: 32; Paramātma Sandarbha: 47; Bhakti Sandarbha: 1, 59, 114; Prīti Sandarbha: 1; Caitanya-caritāmṛta: 2.20.116)
“Non-awareness, misapprehension, and fear because of absorption in a second shall occur by means of Īśa’s māyā for one who is averse to him. Therefore, a wise person, being one for whom the guru is the Devatā and the self (ātmā), should fully worship him [viz., Īśa, Bhagavān] with one-pointed bhakti.”
