Cheater & Teacher

From: Bhakti Vikasa Swami

Date: Mon, Nov 9, 2009

Prabhupada: That is not our life, to become an impostor. It must be real person. By training, yah sastra-vidhim siddhi, by training under the teaching of a bona fide spiritual master, the sastra, and then you'll automatically, the more you become a sincere, I mean to say, servitor of the spiritual master, the more you become qualified to become a teacher in the future. Otherwise where is your qualification? You may cheat others that you are teacher, but you are not actually teacher. You have no lesson, no education. A cheater is another thing. But practically to become a teacher.

.. Just like in a school, teacher ... A teacher is appointed. When the certificate is there that he has passed M.A. examination, and he has undergone the training, B.T., Bachelor training, then he's appointed: "Yes, you can be a teacher." And then a bogus man, he can be ... He cannot be accepted as teacher. So that is going on. A bogus man, they're becoming teachers. Therefore the world condition is so degraded. A cheater is taking the place of teacher. Therefore the whole world is degraded.

Woman Devotee: If we have a desire to keep these promises, but we have a hard time to do it ...

Prabhupada: As soon as you fail to keep your promise, then you're fallen. You have to rectify yourself. Immediately you're fallen. Yah sastra-vidhim utsrjya vartate kama-karatah, na sa siddhim. That means you'll never get perfection. You'll fall down. You can cheat others that I am in dress of a devotee, so I am ... What is your character? What is your actual value? That has to be judged. That is called bona fide teacher.


January 17, 1974, Hawaii



                 "Chant Hare Krishna and be happy"
हरे कृष्ण हरे कृष्ण कृष्ण कृष्ण हरे हरे || हरे राम हरे राम राम राम हरे हरे||