itthaṁ-vidhāny anekāni vasatāṁ guru-veśmani |
guror anugraheṇaiva pumān pūrṇaḥ praśāntaye ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 10.80.43)
“[Kṛṣṇa to Sudāmā:] While living in the home of our guru, we had many [experiences] of such type. Only by the grace of guru does a person become fulfilled and completely peaceful.”
gopayed devatām iṣṭāṁ gopayed gurum ātmanaḥ |
gopayec ca nijaṁ mantraṁ gopayen nija-mālikām ||
(Sammohana Tantra; cited in Hari-bhakti-vilāsa: 2.147)
“One should conceal [one’s] Iṣṭa-devatā. One should conceal one’s guru. One should conceal one’s mantra. One should conceal one’s mālikā.”
yathā siddha-rasa-sparśāt tāmraṁ bhavati kāñcanam |
sannidhānād guror evaṁ śiṣyo viṣṇumayo bhavet ||
(Āgama-śāstra; cited in Bhakti Sandarbha: 237)
“As copper turns into gold at the touch of quicksilver, so a disciple becomes absorbed in [devotion to] Viṣṇu as a result of being in the company of guru.”
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.”
sei se parama bandhu, sei pitā-mātā |
śrī-kṛṣṇa-caraṇe yei prema-bhakti-dātā ||
sakala janme pitā-mātā sabe pāya |
kṛṣṇa guru nāhi mile, bhajaha hiyāya ||
(Caitanya-maṅgala: Madhya-khaṇḍa)
“He who is the giver of prema-bhakti to the feet of Śrī Kṛṣṇa is the greatest friend; he is the father and the mother. In every birth, everyone gets a father and mother, but everyone does not attain Kṛṣṇa or guru. [Therefore,] Serve them with your heart.”
na dharmaṁ nādharmaṁ śruti-gaṇa-niruktaṁ kila kuru
vraje rādhā-kṛṣṇa-pracura-paricaryām iha tanuḥ |
śacī-sūnuṁ nandīśvara-pati-sutatve guru-varaṁ
mukunda-preṣṭhatve smara padam ajasraṁ nanu manaḥ ||
(Raghunātha Dāsa Gosvāmī’s Manaḥ-śikṣā: 2)
“Never engage in the dharma or adharma described in the Śrutis. [Rather,] Render abundant service to Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa here in Vraja. Always deeply remember the Son of Śacī to be the Son of Nanda and your beloved guru to be Mukunda’s favorite, O mind!”
nanv artha-kovidā brahman varṇāśrama-vatām iha |
ye mayā guruṇā vācā taranty añjo bhavārṇavam ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 10.80.33)
“[Kṛṣṇa to Sudāmā:] O brāhmaṇa, certainly they among those adherent to varṇa and āśrama here are sagacious who easily cross over the ocean of material existence by means of words from me—the guru.”
sa vai sat-karmaṇāṁ sākṣād dvijāter iha sambhavaḥ |
ādyo’ṅga yatrāśramiṇāṁ yathāhaṁ jñānado guruḥ ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 10.80.32)
“[Kṛṣṇa to Sudāma:] Here he because of whom existence arises [i.e., one’s father] is the first guru, he because of whom [the existence] of a twice-born’s meritorious activities arises is [the second guru] like I [myself], and he who is a giver of knowledge to the members of the āśramas is [the third guru] directly [I myself].”
vaiṣṇavaṁ jñāna-vaktāraṁ yo vidyād viṣṇuvad gurum |
pūjayed vāṅ-manaḥ-kāyaiḥ sa śāstra-jñaḥ sa vaiṣṇavaḥ ||
śloka-pādasya vaktāpi yaḥ pūjyaḥ sa sadaiva hi |
kiṁ punar bhagavad-viṣṇoḥ svarūpaṁ vitanoti yaḥ ||
(Nārada Pañcarātra; cited in Hari-bhakti-vilāsa: 10.411–412; Bhakti Sandarbha: 237)
“One who can recognize a Vaiṣṇava guru and teacher of knowledge to be like Viṣṇu and worship him with one’s speech, mind, and body is a knower of śāstra and a Vaiṣṇava. Even one who is a teacher of quarter of a verse is certainly always worshippable, so how much more so is one who reveals the nature of Bhagavān Viṣṇu!”
gurv-īśvarayor maheśvarayoś cābhedāpadeśe’pīttham eva taiḥ śuddha-bhaktair matam |
(Krama-sandarbha-ṭīkā on Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 4.30.38)
“The non-difference between guru and Īśvara, and between the two maheśvaras [i.e., Śiva and Bhagavān], even when pointed out in this way [i.e., even when non-difference between Śiva and Bhagavān is pointed out by a description (in SB 4.30.28) of Śiva’s being Bhagavān’s dear friend], is accepted by pure bhaktas.”
