Srila Prabhupada regarding false pretender gurus
Srila Prabhupada said :”The public, they do not know what is the meaning of guru, and the cheaters, they get the opportunity of becoming false gurus.” Lecture on SB 5.5.18 — Vrndavana, November 6, 1976
“The so-called, pseudo guru, false guru, he should be killed.” Lecture on BG 2.4-5 — London, August 5, 1973:
“If we accept guru, a bogus guru, then it is no benefit. Guru means Kṛṣṇa’s representative. Not that everyone can be guru.” Lecture on SB 1.7.43 — Vrndavana, October 3, 1976
“But if you have a so-called bogus guru, and without any knowledge of the śāstra, then your life will be spoiled.” Lecture on SB 7.12.2 — Bombay, April 13, 1976
“If one does not say on the standard of Kṛṣṇa, then he’s not guru. He’s a bogus.” Answers to a Questionnaire from Bhavan’s Journal — June 28, 1976, Vrndavana
“But take the real guru. But if you go to the bogus guru, you must be disappointed.” Answers to a Questionnaire from Bhavan’s Journal — June 28, 1976, Vrndavana
“Simply by bluffing words these bogus gurus and yogis are actually accomplishing nothing.” Letter to Amogha — Mayapur 18 February, 1976
“First of all guru must be bona fide, not a bogus guru. The guru, as specified by Caitanya Mahāprabhu, that is not very difficult, who is guru. Caitanya Mahāprabhu said, yāre dekha, tāre kaha ‘kṛṣṇa’-upadeśa, āmāra ājñāya guru hañā tāra’ ei deśa, (CC Madhya 7.128). He is guru. One who is strictly following the instruction of Caitanya Mahāprabhu, and after following Him, he is just delivering the instruction as Kṛṣṇa has said, then you become guru. It is not difficult. Caitanya Mahāprabhu has ordered everyone. Therefore, our process is to follow Caitanya Mahāprabhu, and then try to understand Kṛṣṇa’s instruction.” 760214 – Lecture SB 07.09.07 – Mayapur
Prabhupāda: So, do that. Don’t approach the cheater guru, guru, guru, bluffer and be cheated. Stop this business. This has spoiled the whole spiritual atmosphere of the world. Take guru, the supreme guru, Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa, when in Mahābhārata when Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira performed rājasūya yajna, in the rājasūya yajna one person is elected the chief guest. So in that yajna many big, big demigods were present, and Bhīṣmadeva was present, Vyāsadeva was present, and many, many other saintly person, brāhmaṇa, from the whole universe were present. And Kṛṣṇa was decided to be accepted as the… Everyone agreed to accept Him as the chief guest. And the Śiśupāla, he protested. Then everyone was angry to kill him. So Kṛṣṇa is accepted the guru by everyone. By our ācāryas, recent ācāryas, Rāmānujācārya, Madhvācārya… I am not speaking of the loafer class, but those who are recognized ācāryas, Śaṅkarācārya… They accepted Kṛṣṇa as the supreme guru. https://prabhupadabooks.com/conversations/1975/mar/with_indian_guests/tehran/march/13/1975
. So how can I become guru? Yes, it is very easy. What is that? Yāre dekha tāre kaha ‘kṛṣṇa’-upadeśa [Cc. Madhya7.128]. Then you become guru. You simply repeat what Kṛṣṇa has said in the Bhagavad-gītā, you become guru. To become guru is not… But if you want to be a bluffer, cheater, then you can talk all nonsense. But if you actually talk only Kṛṣṇa’s words, then you become a guru. It’s not very difficult…
Guest: Swamiji, is there some way (indistinct) duty of the student to the knowledge (indistinct) guru shortcoming?
Prabhupāda: First of all, you have to know who is guru. If you accept one rascal as guru, how you can be helped? First thing is who is
Guest: Swamiji, is there some way (indistinct) duty of the student to the knowledge (indistinct) guru shortcoming?
Prabhupāda: First of all, you have to know who is guru. If you accept one rascal as guru, how you can be helped? First thing is who is guru. That I have already explained. Guru is he who repeats the words of Kṛṣṇa. He is guru. Otherwise, he’s a rascal. This is the test…
https://prabhupadabooks.com/classes/bg/9/3/toronto/june/20/1976
So, this is the injunction of the Vedas, that “If you want real knowledge, you must go to guru.” “Now, there are so many gurus. So, whom shall I…? Where shall I go?” No. You shall go to a guru—samit–pāṇiḥ śrotriyaṁ brahma–niṣṭham [MU 1.2.12]. You shall go to a guru who is brahma–niṣṭham, a great devotee. He is guru, not a so-called guru, gold-making guru. (laughter) Then another cheater. You see? So the Vedic injunction is brahma–niṣṭham. That is guru, one who has full knowledge in Brahman. Athāto brahma jijnāsā. So here also in the Bhagavad-gītā you’ll find who is guru. Tattva–darśinaḥ.
https://prabhupadabooks.com/classes/bg/7/2/nairobi/october/28/1975
Guru means who follows the predecessor, authorized predecessor. He is guru. Not that everyone is guru. So therefore, we have to follow the superior order. Then we become guru, not that by cheating others we become guru. No. That is cheater. That is not teacher. Guru means who is following the superior order. The superior order is Kṛṣṇa or His representative. So Caitanya Mahāprabhu is Kṛṣṇa. He is ordering, āmāra ājnāya, “By My order,” guru hanā, “you become guru.” “Sir, it is very difficult to become guru. I have no education. I have no culture. I am not born in a very high family. I am very low.” A devotee always thinks like that. He never thinks that “I have become very great man.” Just like Caitanya–caritāmṛta, author of, he says, purīṣera kīṭa haite muni se laghiṣṭha [Cc. Ādi 5.205]. Purīṣa, purīṣa means stool, and there are worms in the stool. So Caitanya–caritāmṛta author is saying that “I am lower than the worms in the stool.” That is Vaiṣṇava conception. Tṛṇād api sunīcena. He is very humble. He never says, “Oh, I am the Supreme. I have become God.” A most rascal, foolish. So that is not… Therefore, we have to follow. If we actually want to become guru, there is necessity of many thousands of gurus to teach this cheated public. But how to become guru? That is… Caitanya Mahāprabhu says, āmāra ājnāya: “By My order.” “What is Your order, Sir?” Yāre dekha, tāre kaha ‘kṛṣṇa’-upadeśa [Cc. Madhya 7.128]. Then you become guru. You simply advise people to follow Kṛṣṇa’s instruction. Then you become guru…
To become a guru there is no difficulty, provided we repeat the same thing as Kṛṣṇa says. And if you say something more or less, then you are not a guru. Very simple thing. Very simple thing.
https://prabhupadabooks.com/classes/sb/3/25/32/bombay/december/02/1974
… I wondered whether you feel that it’s right that you could perhaps issue a warning to people who are seeking some new spiritual life that they should take care to make sure they have a genuine guru to teach them.
Woman Interviewer: Do you feel there’s a danger?
Prabhupāda: Of course, to search out guru is very nice. But if you want a cheap guru or if you want to be cheated, then there will be many cheater gurus. But if you are sincere, then you’ll have sincere guru. People want to be cheated because they want everything very cheap. But just like we are asking people no illicit sex, no meat-eating, no gambling, no intoxication. So, people think it is very difficult, it is botheration. And if somebody says, “No, you do. Whatever nonsense you like do. You simply take my mantra,” they will like it. So, the thing is that they want to be cheated; therefore, cheaters come. They don’t want to undergo some austerity. Human life is meant for austerity. But they are not prepared to undergo austerity. Suppose some cheaters come. They say, “Oh, no austerity. Whatever you like you do. You simply pay me, and I’ll give you some particular mantra, and you become God within six months.” (Laughter) And that is going on. So, you want to be, if people want to be cheated like that, the cheaters will come….
Woman Interviewer: Is this one of the main things that distinguishes a genuine guru from a fake guru?
Prabhupāda: Yes. A genuine guru is not a business man. Our… (end)
https://prabhupadabooks.com/conversations/1971/aug/temple_press_conference/london/august/05/1971
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