Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Śrī Caitanya Caritāmrita Ādi 1.58

jīve sākshāt nāhi tāte guru caittya-rūpe

śikshā-guru haya krishna-mahānta-svarūpe

SYNONYMS

jīve — by the living entity; sākshāt — direct experience; nāhi — there is not; tāte — therefore; guru — the spiritual master; caittya-rūpe — in the form of the Supersoul; śikshā-guru — the spiritual master who instructs; haya — appears; krishna — Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead; mahānta — the topmost devotee; sva-rūpe — in the form of.

TRANSLATION

Since one cannot visually experience the presence of the Supersoul, He appears before us as a liberated devotee. Such a spiritual master is none other than Krishna Himself.

PURPORT

It is not possible for a conditioned soul to directly meet Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, but if one becomes a sincere devotee and seriously engages in devotional service, Lord Krishna sends an instructing spiritual master to show him favor and invoke his dormant propensity for serving the Supreme. The preceptor appears before the external senses of the fortunate conditioned soul, and at the same time the devotee is guided from within by the caittya-guru, Krishna, who is seated as the spiritual master within the heart of the living entity.

<<< >>>

Copyright ©r The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International, Inc.
His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, Founder Ācārya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness