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This podcast and its associated discussion forum are about the Esoteric Teaching, or the authentic tradition of self-realization coming down from Kṛṣṇa through the Vedic literature and culture. We have often stated here that the Esoteric Teaching is a bona-fide Vedic mystery school that can help you attain complete self-realization. By practicing this Esoteric Teaching, you can come face-to-face with God.

However, we also warn our students that there are many lineages and teachers of Vedic spirituality that cannot give you self-realization. In fact, if you hear from them, you may lose whatever faith and realization you have got. Why do we speak like this? And what is the criterion of the authentic Vedic tradition? What sets the Esoteric Teaching apart from others who claim to represent the Vedic tradition, and teach Bhagavad-gita?

The answer is simple: in our school we hear about spiritual life only from teachers who are actually self-realized. We do not hear about spiritual life from people who are not self-realized.

For example, an unself-realized person may hold a very senior position in a spiritual organization. Or they may be very learned and able to defeat others with sophisticated philosophical arguments. Or they may have a powerful, charismatic personality. But none of these things is the actual criterion of the bona fide spiritual Master Teacher. The qualification of a spiritual master is given by Kṛṣṇa in Bhagavad-gita:

tad viddhi pranipatena
pariprasnena sevaya
upadeksyanti te jnanam
jnaninas tattva-darsinah

“Just try to learn the truth by approaching a spiritual master. Inquire from him submissively and render service unto him. The self-realized soul can impart knowledge unto you because he has seen the truth.” [Bhagavad-gita 4.34]

The Sanskrit word upadeksyanti literally means ‘to initiate.’ The process of formal initiation into the confidential practices of devotional service is the gateway to the highest stages of authentic yoga practice. One should accept initiation only from a Master Teacher who is self-realized; or in Kṛṣṇa’s words, jnaninas tattva-darsinah: a self-realized seer of the truth.

What is the real meaning of this statement? The Supreme Absolute Truth is far more than a philosophical doctrine, theological dogma, or any kind of intellectual understanding. It is not knowledge in the usual sense, but a state of spiritual consciousness. A real seer of the truth is someone who sees Kṛṣṇa, because Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the Supreme Absolute Truth personified.

So someone who has seen Kṛṣṇa, to whom Kṛṣṇa has revealed Himself, is a seer of the truth and therefore qualified to bestow this vision of the truth on others through the Vedic process of initiation. We cannot give to others what we ourselves do not have. Therefore anyone who has not seen Kṛṣṇa’s original spiritual form cannot give that vision to others. In other words, only one who has personally attained the perfection of self-realization is fit to be a spiritual Master Teacher. This is the real qualification of a Master Teacher.

Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu said:

kiba vipra, kiba nyasi, sudra kene naya
yei Kṛṣṇa-tattva-vetta, sei ’guru’ haya

“A person may be a brahmana or a sudra or a sannyasi, but whatever he is, if he knows the science of Kṛṣṇa, then he is fit to become a spiritual master.” [Caitanya-caritamrta, Madhya-lila 8.128]

One who is intellectually conversant with Vedic wisdom is a brahmana. But only a brahmana who is a pure Vaiṣṇava and has personal realization all the intricacies of the science of Kṛṣṇa can become a bona-fide spiritual master. The qualification, then, of a spiritual master is not to be a qualified brahmana, but to be well versed in the science of Kṛṣṇa and a fully self-realized soul.

Of course, a well-trained brahmana is most likely to attain self-realization because of his good qualifications in spiritual character, Vedic scriptural learning and cultivation of yogic meditation and austerity. But there is no prohibition against others attaining full self-realization. If anyone has an ardent desire for spiritual truth, the Lord can bestow His blessings upon them at any time. He is independent, and does not require our permission for giving His blessings. He can give self-realization to anyone who pleases Him by offenseless chanting and selfless service.

Kṛṣṇa also discusses the symptoms of a self-realized soul in Bhagavad-gita when Arjuna inquires:

sthita-prajnasya ka bhasa
samadhi-sthasya kesava
sthita-dhih kim prabhaseta
kim asita vrajeta kim

Arjuna said: “What are the symptoms of one whose consciousness is thus merged in Transcendence? How does he speak, and what is his language? How does he sit, and how does he walk?”

The Lord replies:

prajahati yada kaman
sarvan partha mano-gatan
atmany evatmana tustah
sthita-prajnas tadocyate

The Blessed Lord said: “O Partha, when a man gives up all varieties of sense desire which arise from mental concoction, and when his mind finds satisfaction in the self alone, then he is said to be in pure transcendental consciousness.” [Bhagavad-gita 2.54-55]

Notice here that Arjuna’s question is phrased in terms of external characteristics—“How does he speak, how does he sit, and how does he walk?” But Kṛṣṇa’s reply is on the platform of consciousness: “When his mind finds satisfaction in the self alone, then he is said to be in pure transcendental consciousness.”

We are not to recognize a self-realized soul by any external characteristics, but by his state of consciousness. A person may have all kinds of knowledge, power, wealth or other opulence, but if he is not situated in transcendental consciousness, then he is not fit to be a spiritual teacher.

And how do we recognize someone in that consciousness? “When his mind finds satisfaction in the self alone.” In other words, he has no interest in material things. His beautiful, loving, affectionate relationship with Kṛṣṇa is all he needs to be happy. The bona fide spiritual master can be recognized by his detachment from material sense gratification, and his all-consuming interest in his spiritual relationship with Kṛṣṇa.

Rupa Gosvami, the ontological architect of the Esoteric Teaching, gives the following qualification for a spiritual Master Teacher:

vaco vegam manasah krodha-vegam
jihva-vegam udaropastha-vegam
etan vegan yo visaheta dhirah
sarvam apimam prthivim sa sisyat

“A sober person who can tolerate the urge to speak, the mind’s demands, the actions of anger and the urges of the tongue, belly and genitals is qualified to make disciples all over the world.” [Sri Upadesamrta, 1]

It is difficult to distinguish the real spiritual master from the many false spiritual masters simply by outward symptoms alone. But after seeing quite a few false spiritual masters and their communities, I can leave you with some tips.

A real spiritual master will not create a personality cult; if he forms an organization at all, its focus will be on helping people attain self-realization, not collecting money or maintaining an opulent lifestyle for an elite inner circle. A real spiritual master will never burn people out and cast them aside; he will genuinely be interested in helping people solve their problems by spiritual cultivation of devotional service.

A real spiritual master will never tell you to neglect your family or your health, or to work harder and collect more money for his organization at the expense of your spiritual life; he will tell you to work less and chant more, to take it easy so you can think of Kṛṣṇa. Here are some more tips:

• A false spiritual master will tell you that he is perfect; a real spiritual master will tell you that God is perfect.
• A false spiritual master will try to make you surrender to him; a real spiritual master will try to convince you to surrender to Kṛṣṇa.
• A false spiritual master will try to make you follow his instructions; a real spiritual master will try to convince you to follow Kṛṣṇa’s instructions.
• A false spiritual master will tell you that you are a fool, and that you do not know God; a real spiritual master will tell you that we are all fools, himself included, and that we all have an eternal relationship with God, but that due to our foolishness we have forgotten Him.
• A false spiritual master will tell you that you cannot know God without him; a real spiritual master will tell you that anyone can know God by sincerely serving Him.
• A false spiritual master will tell you that if you leave his organization, you are a demon and condemned, and order his other students to avoid you; a real spiritual master will tell you that you can leave if you want to, but he will miss you—and he will request his other students to be kind to you so that you will come back again someday.
• A false spiritual master will tell you what to do to serve him; a real spiritual master will ask you what you want to do to serve God, and then help you to do it well.
• A false spiritual master is making his living from your time and energy; a real spiritual master has something to give to you, and will give it whether you contribute to his organization or not.
• A false spiritual master will get angry if you ask too many questions; a real spiritual master will welcome your sincere questions, and discuss them with you in depth until you are satisfied.
• A false spiritual master will have a goon squad to enforce his orders; a real spiritual master trusts that if you have real knowledge, you will automatically do the right thing.
• A false spiritual master will offer to teach you how to see God; a real spiritual master will offer to teach you how to attract God, so that He will want to come and see you.

Our success in self-realization depends on hearing from the right source. If we hear from those who are materially advanced, but have not attained the highest stage of self-realization, our advancement will be limited. But if we hear only from fully self-realized souls who can see Kṛṣṇa, who know Kṛṣṇa and have a fully developed personal relationship with Him, then our success in self-realization is assured.

Next: The Most Important Thing