yac chraddhayā śrutavatyā ca bhaktyā
sammṛjyamāne hṛdaye’vadhāya |
jñānena vairāgya-balena dhīrā
vrajema tat te’ṅghri-saroja-pīṭham ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 3.5.42)
“Meditating upon the seat of your lotus feet in our hearts fully purified by bhakti cultivated through hearing with śraddhā, and having become sagacious by virtue of knowledge and the strength of vairāgya, let us approach that [i.e., let us take shelter at that seat of your lotus feet].”
guru-bhaktyā sa milati smaraṇāt sevyate budhaiḥ |
milito’pi na labhyeta jīvair ahamikā-paraiḥ ||
(Brahma-vaivarta Purāṇa; cited in Bhakti Sandarbha: 209)
“One meets [i.e., attains] he who is served by the wise [i.e., Bhagavān] through remembrance (smaraṇa) as a result of bhakti to [one’s] guru [i.e., remembrance of Bhagavān whereby he is served and satisfied develops as a result of bhakti to one’s guru], but even if he [i.e., Bhagavān] is met, he cannot be attained [i.e., he is not truly attained or appreciated] by jīvas who are engrossed in egotism.”
mātṛdevo bhava |
pitṛdevo bhava |
ācāryadevo bhava |
atithidevo bhava |
(Taittirīya Upaniṣad: 11.2)
“Be one for whom one’s mother is Deva.
Be one for whom one’s father is Deva.
Be one for whom one’s ācārya is Deva.
Be one for whom one’s guest is Deva.”
vaiṣṇavānāṁ parā-bhaktir ācāryāṇāṁ viśeṣataḥ |
pūjanaṁ ca yathā-śakti tān āpannāṁś ca pālayet ||
(Nārada Pañcarātra; cited in Hari-bhakti-vilāsa: 2.137)
“One should have great bhakti for the Vaiṣṇavas, and for the ācāryas in particular. One should worship them as one is able and protect them [when they are] in difficulty.”
ācāryaṁ māṁ vijānīyān nāvamanyeta karhicit |
na martya-buddhyāsūyeta sarva-devamayo guruḥ ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 11.17.27; cited in Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu: 1.2.99; Bhakti Sandarbha: 211)
“Know the ācārya to be me. One should never disrespect [him], and one should not engage in detraction [of him] out of consideration of [him being] a mortal. The guru is an embodiment of all the devas.”
