Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 7.15.26
Mukti· LiberationHonor the Spiritual Master’s Transcendental Position
“The spiritual master should be considered to be directly the Supreme Lord because he gives transcendental knowledge for enlightenment. Consequently, for one who maintains the material conception that the spiritual master is an ordinary human being, everything is frustrated. His enlightenment and his Vedic studies and knowledge are like the bathing of an elephant.”
What the purport teaches
- The spiritual master gives transcendental knowledge and should be honored as being on an equal status with the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
- Considering the spiritual master an ordinary human being frustrates one’s study and austerities. The purport compares this to an elephant bathing and then covering itself with dust.
- One should strictly follow the spiritual master’s instructions. When the spiritual master is pleased, the Supreme Personality of Godhead is pleased.
Try this today
Read one instruction from the spiritual master carefully, with attention to following it rather than merely collecting knowledge.
Ask yourself
Does my attitude toward the spiritual master support or undermine the knowledge I receive?
Carry the question through the day, then answer it in your own words before sleep.
The study points, practice and question are short summaries drawn from Śrīla Prabhupāda's translation and purport. Read the full purport to go deeper.